Healing Hands
by WeebCommander
Summary: "Perhaps tonight wouldn't be so bad... maybe it would be terrible." Gajeed crack ship lovin! Rated M for alcohol, the swears and some beautiful dorky dragonxbookworm loving. (Eventual citrus to be found amidst the fluffyness)
1. Dirty Angel

**_I'm baaaaaaack!_**

 ** _Yo dawgg, i heard you liked Gajeed crackshipping... so i brought this out of my closet of half finished fics just for you! Tbh Gajeed is right up there behind Gajevy for me. Im convinced that Gajeel, gay/straight/bi/whatever the fuck he wants, is into bookworms._**

 ** _I hope you enjoy these two being awkward and adorable together. And for anyone out there saying 'Gajeel dont dance bruh!' I have two words for you: TECHNO.VIKING. Ever heard of him??? Would YOU stop a man of that stature and demeanor from dancing if he so chose?_**

 ** _I thought not._**

 ** _ENJOY MY LOVLIES!_**

 **Chapter 1. Dirty Angel**

"Did ya fall in, Freed??" Cana snickered at the bathroom door. The shuffling of fabric and the occasional bump against the wall beyond stopped and an exasperated sigh echoed out into the hallway. It had been a tense fifteen minutes of tucking and squeezing between too-tight fabric and his tentative patience had worn a groove in his temper.

He sure as day didn't appreciate her crude insinuations, at this point.

"I do not think I can do this." Freed sulked openly, "What is this even FOR!? What part of the body do I... oh... oh this is for my face??" Lucy attempted to stifle her snicker beneath her hands when she overheard on her way to her bedroom. The card mage nudged her with an amused elbow sharing in the humor at his expense.

"Why, this looks absurd!" The rune mage scoffed, his voice fuzzy beneath fabric. "I am NOT wearing this half-mask nonsense, Cana! How would one breath in it anyway?! Completely impractical for physical activity!!" A loud thump was heard against the door. Something he had put on somewhere was pulling uncomfortably at his backside and he struggled to fix it, turning in place twice trying to see himself in the half mirror above the ivory sink with no success.

"Tonight is about looking good and gettin' our dance on." She drawled back, growing steadily more bored with the rune mage who had become increasingly difficult as the time to leave grew nearer. Not that she'd expected otherwise; Freed was about as social as a wet cat and twice as difficult.

The lost patience put an evil grin on her face. "We're just going to put more makeup on you if you don't wear the bandana mask, so choose wisely and hurry your ass UP." She called through the wood, cracking her knuckles. "The good djs will be done by the time we get there at this rate!"

Muffled indignation echoed in response in the bathroom acoustics. "You will do no such thing! It is improper for a man such as myself to be seen... wearing makeup!" Where Freed had expected some sort of repartee, none came. He stood stock still, straining to hear outside the restroom. "...Cana?? Cana are you there??" Unlocking the door to peak out, he was suddenly slammed backward as the brunette rushed her way past him into the room. Green hair swinging freely behind him, he rounded on the intruder and quickly covered his bare chest.

"Cana!! I have not dressed completely!!" He squealed, mortified at the sudden feeling of over-exposure. His lack of dress only fueled the woman's determined rage, making his pale face go impossibly white.

"Put a sock in it and hold still!" The brunette growled, having captured an article of clothing looking more akin to a torture device. "You're taking too long and we still gotta pick everyone else up before we head- HOLD STILL, DAMN IT!"

Freed was still attempting to conceal his bare trunk while fidgeting away against the traitorous floral wallpaper, pink settling on his cheeks. His nimble fingers clung to the fair shoulders and trembled with Cana's continued advance.

It wasn't that he was ashamed of the way his body looked; for all intents and purposes he thought his physique was exceptionally maintained if not a bit waifish. However, the card mage had no sense of the personal boundaries in civilized society, and was now wrapping her arms around his waist to fasten the rather complex looking outfit the girls had chosen for him. The top of her breasts drug against his abs and he gulped audibly, attempting to focus elsewhere. Anywhere at all. It was too much stimuli, even for someone utterly disinterested in the female body.

It wasn't a proper thing to do, rubbing ones bare chest against someone else. Even if it was a friend. Especially if it was a friend, in Freed's opinion. Cana could be quite uncivilized.

"Ohhh don't get your cravat twisted, I'm almost done- there." After finishing cinching up the corset around his middle, she straightened to admire her handy work. The girls had gotten together and put a lot of thought into his outfit to help him out; he hadn't exactly been to an event like this one and since he'd somehow allowed himself to be pushed into going... he needed the input.

Fairy Tail women: notoriously pushy, fiercely independent and almost always uncompromising.

Since his hair was already such a bright shade of fresh-cut-grass, they had chosen black for the base color with a complimenting green to accent. While he appreciated the aid they'd given him, he still blanched at how different he looked in the mirror. There was something about the skin tight acid-washed black jeans with holes ripped up the front that made him feel naked. Even worse was the leather-like "shirt" that showed his bare chest in elongated, rectangular segments; The only coverage he felt was that of a thin layer of fish netting that sat snug against him beneath.

"There is. No. Way. No. Cana, I have had enough. Get me out of this... this leather THING so I can dedicate my evening to practical reading." Freed tugged grudgingly at the half-corset sitting astride his exposed jutting hips and glowered at his reflection. They'd all laugh at him, preposterous to think otherwise when his pants hugged this impossibly low on his pelvis. Any lower and the world would truly know his particular shade of emerald locks was not one bought in a store.

"Dude, you look sick! Just chill out and we'll do your makeup and hair next." Ignoring his protests (they were many), Cana left to retrieve her makeup kit and an over-enthusiastic Lucy to help out. The rune mage visibly deflated at the thought, taking a seat on the edge of the tub and attempting to slump; the corset had other ideas, dragging an irritated sigh from his uncomfortably pinched diaphragm.

By the time the girls descended on him, he had gotten used to the device hugging his waist, his eyebrow quirked at how proper his posture was. They'd snickered behind his back at how he had been looking at the attractive curve of his frame but quickly adopted a stoic rigidity to his jaw upon noticing them. Perhaps tonight wouldn't be so bad...

...maybe it would be terrible.

The celestial mage busied herself with weaving black yarn into his hair in bits and pieces. She personally was having more fun playing dress-up than anyone else in the house, putting beads and little charms in the strands. She wished openly she had hair as long as Freed so she could do this for herself on occasion. "You're looking great, Freed!" She reassured him while she added a silver skull charm and continued twisting his hair between her fingers. He didn't acknowledge her, having to keep his mouth clamped shut while Cana spread pastes and creams from bottles of every shape and size across his face.

The thought of not being able to see what she was doing was unnerving; he'd taken care to groom himself meticulously over the years and someone purposely throwing off the everyday was distinctly uncomfortable. Cana, however, whistled when she stood back to admire her work. "Man, I wish I had your eyelashes... look at them, Luce!"

Out of the corner of his eye, the blonde poked her head into view and let her jaw drop. "Wow! They're so full! You wouldn't even need fake lashes! LUCKY!" Resuming her work with a lamentation concerning blond lashes, it was only another minute or so before Lucy stood beside her nakama and smiled down at him. "All done! Take a look!"

Sitting up from the edge of the tub, Freed slid gracelessly to the full length mirror and peered into it.

"Wha-...I-i... is this absolutely necessary??" He squeaked, absently turning a strand of yarn in his fingers.

Across his pale face, Cana had somehow defined the corners of his visible eye so they became sharp, and scrolled intricately into swirls that extended off the end and onto his cheek. On the opposite side below his bangs, she'd drawn a heart in black oil pencil and shaded it a neon pink. "I look... ridiculous."

"You do not. Trust me, once you get there, you'll understand." Lucy grinned, her bright purple lipstick shining with the parlor lights beneath her own raver pigtails (complete with rainbow hollow tubes sprouting from their carefully tied knots). His helpers WERE particularly colorful... and had yet to finish getting ready, so perhaps he wouldn't feel so silly once they were gussied up.

"Trust me, once my man gets here, you'll think we toned it way down." Cana snickered, sharing a knowing glance with him.

"Oh, I don't have to imagine the chaos Bickslow gets up to when he's out to party."

The music could be heard down the street, the pavement practically trembled with the base beneath their shoes. The rune mage still felt self-conscious despite the trip they'd made to Wendy's. Bickslow had convinced him that she could use her healing magic to help calm his nerves and, given the state of the seith mage's dress, Freed definitely needed something to get him through the night.

Even taking the edge off of his fidgeting would be helpful at this point.

They'd showed up at his team mate's house to pick him up for the evening, to be greeted by what strongly resembled a giant purple bird. Their entire group had nearly fallen over at the sight of him, his tongue wagging from black lips and his bare chest only hidden by a coat made entirely of indigo, black and white feathers.

"Freed! Looking SUPER gay today!" He'd laughed, his guild mark lolled about as he rocked his head to the side, observing his friend with his haunting, rusty eyes.

"Said the purple cock." Freed sniffed cooly, adjusting the chains that hung from his garments.

"Awwww, is someone in a mood?? Come on! We'll have a great time tonight man!" Wrapping his bare arm around him, Bickslow squeezed him affectionately and told him about the pit stop before the show.

Leave it to his best friend to put a half grin on his face in spite of nerves, even if he looked the sort of person who would be asking people for his money tonight. Especially if he looked that way- though the Rune mage would never admit that.

Wendy had been all too happy to oblige, spreading a variation of the Troya spell she'd been practicing over his chest. Supposedly it was at its most potent once the feeling of anxiety would normally be settling in. Despite having this knowledge, he had still been pleasantly surprised when they'd entered the ruckus building and a warmth spread through his chest and limbs.

Normally the prospect of being near this many people would put a stone in his stomach if not cause an all-out panic episode. It would normally be his que to leave before things progressed beyond the choking social anxiety. The easy grin that spread across his face felt good, as if he were now incredibly in control of even the everyday knits that came for him. This was the feeling he missed out on all the time; he could study his surroundings objectively where he would have once shrunk into himself, unable to move or think for fear of the unknown all around.

"It's nice to see you so relaxed," Evergreen yelled to him from Elfman's arm. She was dressed in muted burgundies and plums, her skin shimmering bright in true fairy fashion. "I think I've only ever seen you look that way when we visit the library in Hargeon!"

She shared a knowing glance with Bicks, who couldn't keep his tongue in his mouth as he threw his head back. "Not as excited as that old timey printing press museum up north- practically jizzed himself when he saw the antique paper displays…"

Sniffing indignantly, Freed crossed his arms absorbing their teasing in stride. "Just because I appreciate a large tome and handmade parchment doesn't mean that I can't enjoy myself here."

The mixed skepticism and all out doubt displayed back at him made him groan and turn to exit. The scythe mage swung him back around and gave him an affectionate squeeze. "Don't be that way, Buddy! Come on, let's get a drink!"

Bickslow had coraled him to the bar while the rest took off to find a table on the outskirts of the dance floor. The building was rather unremarkable, it's guts were basically that of a run down warehouse. The magic only came when the first dj started his set, and the colored lights and lazers blazed into full effect around the vast room.

"Here, take this shot with me and we'll go find the guys." Bicks shouted over the bass cupping a hand over his friend's ear. "If we get seperated tonight, we will meet out front at the curb. Don't leave the building because it can get packed and after a while they stop letting people in cuz of the capacity limit. Drink up, Señor Justine!"

When Freed brought the acrid liquid to his lips, the seith mage had tipped it back into his mouth more quickly than he'd expected, causing him to sputter and cough once he'd slammed the shot down. The white-hot burn of syrupy licorice and carbonation fried his taste buds from tasting anything else for the evening.

"You, are a detestable human specimen." He drawled, blinking his already watery eyes. How could women stand having makeup there anyway? His tear ducts were already quite irritated.

"What??" Bicks yelled in earnest, trying to hear Freed over the already busy dance floor.

"I SAID you are a DETESTABLE HUMAN SPECIMEN!" Freed shouted over the bouncing of the music.

"WHAT'D YA SAY??" Bickslow cupped his ear half-heartedly.

"I SAID YOU SUCK!" An unintentional grin spread over his face, allowing his words to strike out with playful aggression. Wendy's spell really WAS amazing.

After collecting drinks for the group they found them congregating around a small table toward the speakers. Freed sipped the scotch Bickslow had bought him and watched everyone come alive to the beat of the music. This particular song wasn't quite his taste, but he enjoyed watching his nakama let loose.

Speaking of loose... WOW did he feel good! Almost TOO good. But where his brain would normally have started to question whether it was a good time to feel this disinhibited, Wendy's spell doped him up a second time, his eyes growing wide in euphoria at the shapes and colors kaleidoscoping around the room.

Everyone here really WAS as colorful as him if not more so. What a relief, indeed. A young woman covered in beads of all manner of color stumbled into him and smiled apologetically.

"EXCUSE ME MISS, DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE LADIES ROOM IS?" She'd leaned in close to speak to him and her breath smelled of cherries and alcohol.

"SORRY!" He shrugged, sending her on her way again. Wait... miss? Freed's eyebrows furrowed.

A transitional change in beat wobbled over the first, distracting him from the mix up entirely. This, right here, was his jam. Oh god... what was happening to him? What kind of thoughts were these?? What an elementary notion...

Another shot of magic coursed through him and he decided this train of thought was wholly unimportant. Downing the remainder of his scotch on the rocks, he wandered into the crowd, unsure of where his guild mates had wandered to. All the same, he felt compelled to dance.

It was difficult to move in the odd corset around his waist, but he managed to balter anyhow. The music was holding him in its arms, it's melody crashing in glorious waves against his sloshy brain. His heart was pounding, but instead of being afraid he'd hyperventilate, Freed was invigorated by the feeling.

Eyes closing, he spun himself, feeling at the center of the universe. What a magical place, what magical people! Their energy was palpable and his soul was consuming the experience like a man starved.

A sizeable bump to his shoulder sent him off balance and he tried to apologize to the man he had bumped into but the music was too intense where they were standing. All the same, the hooded stranger gave the rune mage a thumbs up acknowledging him before continuing his dizzying steps.

Freed couldn't look away, though he'd started moving his hips again the stranger was too interesting to ignore. Jet black pants featuring some pretty intimidating industrial embellishments sat low on his narrow tan hips and sunk below complex looking combat boots that laced to his mid shin. His charcoal colored shirt had a leather contraption that crossed his chest gave it a broad appearance, though judging by the swollen traps between his sturdy neck and shoulder, it wasn't false advertisement. Black leather with spiked studs and heavy straps ran the length of his left arm, ending in fingerless gloves that exposed dark, blood red nails. His face was half hidden behind a bandana mask with a wicked skeletal grin stretching it's length and a band of dark grey makeup spread from one eye to the other beneath his hood.

It was the way he moved that captivated him; the man's ferocity in his movements was terrifying yet fluid. It was as if he was losing himself in the music just as Freed was; Lost in a sea of energy with him.

Feeling particularly bold, the rune mage swung his two-toned hair dramatically and threw his energy out to the stranger. 'Notice me,' it seemed to call out, '...come, come dance. Come share this moment with me.' Swinging his hips seductively, Freed continued to call out to the stranger in a silent siren song.

God the music felt amazing; his cheeks felt so hot, his heart pounding to keep up with his movements and the ecstacy of the moment.

Love me and decree:

I'm alive, I'm alive.

Bum-ba-da-dee-dum-dee

Dirty Angel.

The music blared and Freed closed his eyes. The rush of feeling everyone around him sent a shiver down his spine. A hunger was building with the sound ringing in his ears. Passively he wondered if there had been something in his drink... this feeling was amazing, but felt synthetic, as if he might fall at any moment, crashing into reality.

When his eyes opened again, he found a wide-eyed stranger staring at him, now much closer than he had been. His brow was furrowed in the shadows when he reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. The weight nearly made his knees buckle beneath him; he felt so weak... so amazingly weak. The man must have noticed, because a moment later he was being hauled to the bar with the dark man's arm circling his back and supporting his steps.

The sweaty warmth of him clutching his body made Freed swoon despite his light-headedness, and by the time they reached the bartender, his head had sunk to the man's shoulder. Ignoring the chaos around him, at this range he could smell the deep musky scent of him: cloves, bergamot and salt.

The rune mage shivered involuntarily.

A couple large glasses filled with clear liquid were placed in front of them, but instead of the man taking his, he pushed it in front of Freed. The stranger stayed, watching him intently as he finished his first glass and lowering his hood to drape around his shoulders and reveal raven locks locked in a rather large messy bun at his nape. This was, hands down, the best water in Fiore. He'd never tasted such a delicious beverage in all his life! Adjusting an escaped strand or two of hair behind his ear, he looked over to find the man pointing to him and miming the 'Okay' symbol.

"Yes, yes I feel particularly fantastic." He slurred, grinning impishly.

When the stranger cupped his ear in front of his ponytail, Freed's smile widened and he gave him a thumbs up. There was a tension that he hadn't noticed before that lifted from the bulk of the man's shoulders. A smile of his own reached his dark eyes, and he gestured for another glass when the rune mage guzzled the second down thirstily.

The jagged roughness of him was so alluring, but it was his kindness that made the Fairy Tail mage feel utterly weak. There was a halo of deep green dust that shimmered around him and the metal spikes splaying from his shoulders giving him an almost angelic silhouette. Beneath the leather on his arm, Freed could see well-defined muscles now that he'd come closer. He tried to swallow, but his throat had gone dry before such a specimen.

When the dark man turned to go, waving as he went, Freed snatched the man's hand and drew his tanned fingers to his lips. When the gentle kiss connected, he looked up through his full lashes with unbridled lust swimming in his thoughts. 'Don't go,' his leer said.

With wide, observing eyes, the stranger slowly withdrew his hand before his gaze snapped to something behind Freed. When the rune mage turned to see what had caught his attention, he saw Bickslow making his way out of the crowd, all smiles until his face rounded on him. Upon turning back to his knight in shining leather, he was nowhere to be found.

The seith mage rushed to him and began trying to talk to him, a worried expression on his face. No matter how he raised his voice, the music was too loud to hear anything. Although, his demeanor relaxed slightly when he saw the water in front of him and patted his back.

After he'd drank the last of it, Bickslow helped him to his feet and out of the club. Once the cool summer breeze hit him, Freed relaxed into his friend more completely, groaning with the pleasure of the change in temperature. "Are you alright man??" Bicks propped him against a no parking sign and steadied him by the shoulders. "You're pale as fuck and you're all sweaty, even for as hot as it was in there!"

"Bickslow, he was so radiant, you should have seen him!" They were both yelling after having to adjust to the loud music inside. "He just swept me from the floor and made me drink water... these COLORS... wow! Look at the state of my wrist!"

When there was nothing on his wrist but, well, his wrist, the seith mage grew more concerned.

"Freed," he shook his friend slightly until he looked up and into his eyes. "Are... are you HIGH??"

The rune mage scoffed and then giggled a little too much at the question. "Are YOU high??" He shot back in what he thought was an incredibly crafty come back.

"Oh, fucking perfect." Worried, Bickslow pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled anxiously. "Laxus is gonna kill me. If HE doesn't, I'm certain Wendy will."

There was a piece of Freed that woke up then, and his brows came together, his eyes suddely clear yet sad. "... No. Laxus doesn't need to know about this." There were raging emotions that were beginning to crash into him, a sobriety of sorts beginning to clarify his mind. "Nothing good could come of him finding out. Please, Bicks."

The sudden awareness of his nakama hit him, and instead of continuing down a potentially upsetting road, the seith mage diverted his attention. "So, who gave you the water, Casanova?" Bickslow waggled his eyebrows at him but blanched when his friend slumped forward into his arms.

"The 'Dirty Angel' gave them to me and he had feathers and leather and he smelled heavenly. No!" He paused to look up at his friend and gestured emphatically, "I MEAN, REALLY GOOD, BICKS. LIKE, I'VE BEEN PURIFIED IN HIS LIGHT, BICKS."

It was about the time Freed began yammering about halos that his best friend thought he'd lost his damn mind. "Well, I'm glad they found you regardless... your color's coming back... it's probably best we get you home... I'll let everyone know we're headin'."

Getting a partially intoxicated man home was difficult; Freed's mood swings had become so violent that the seith mage had had to possess him at one point to keep him from running off. 'I'll never fucking drink again if I'm ever this big of a pain in the ass,' he swore to himself.

Levy answered the door still in her day clothes, the look of surprise and embarrassment plain on her face. "Hey... you're home so early... Freed?? What's wrong??"

In a full on pout, Freed glared away from Bickslow grudgingly. "Bicks is entirely unromantic and should be stoned for such treachery." To which the taller man rolled his eyes and shoved him past the threshold. It was bad enough that he'd been harangued all the way home, it now appeared he'd be hearing about it here as well.

"Levy, would you call Wendy here please? I fucked up and she needs to fix this." The seith mage sighed and prepared himself for the scolding of a lifetime when she got there. The sky maiden was petite and adorable, but she had a way of truly letting you know when you fucked up.

Bicks shivered.

While Levy had hurried to the lacrima, Freed had walked into the living room and was greeted by a slightly off-put looking Jet; he adjusted his clothes and scratched a nervous itch behind his head.

"You're here for your romantic rendezvous. BICKSLOW," his green locks quivered with the intensity of his anger when his team mate nervously poked his head into the room, "THAT'S TWO EVENINGS YOU'VE SPOILED, YOU HEARTLESS ASS!"

"WOW. Okay seriously, Wendy, get here. He's cursing and slurring his words." Levy whispered urgently into the communication lacrima.

As a matter of principle, Freed made a point never to swear; he felt it cheapened his vocabulary, which happened to be robust and diverse enough not to need vulgarities added. To see him in such an altered state was, in a word, alarming. Levy had gotten to know the man (whom was now attempting to throttle Bickslow) very well over the past several years- even more so when he'd become her roommate four months previous.

She sighed and shrugged at Jet, who'd actually begun to laugh at the seith mage's expense as Freed laid into him, speaking course and mostly without reasonable explanation. Levy knew her fiance was generous enough to forgive the intrusion, especially considering the entertainment that came with it.

"Freed! We had to go! You're not-" Bickslow tried to still his friend but he was entirely inconsolable, beating his fists against the seith mage's chest.

"I want LOVE, BICKS! I'll never see that beautiful man ever again and it's entirely your fault!" Tears welled in his eyes as hysterics continued to roll through him. "It's bad enough that Laxus didn't want me and didn't have the fucking courage to tell me plainly, but I am finally invigorated to try again and you bring me home!! What if the Dirty Angel finds someone else??? Will you be satisfied then!??" He shrieked flailing in his fellow Raijinshuu's arms, beginning to sob even more indelicately.

"Who's the 'Dirty Angel'?" Levy called from down the hall, getting the tissue box from her night stand.

"I know there was a catchy song that played with that in the lyrics, but this one insists he was rescued by some dude at the club." Having finally tired his companion out, Bickslow carried him to the armchair and threw out the foot rest so he could recline while blubbering into the tissues Levy procured.

"I guess he did have a bunch of water when I found him, and he wasn't exactly in the right state of mind to have done that on his own, but it could have been anyone. There were almost a hundred people dancing tonight." Bicks began stroking the top of Freed's head as he sniffled wetly.

Levy's brow scrunched together. "That doesn't explain why his mood is so erratic..."

"You gave him alcohol."

Everyone jumped at the sound of Wendy, who had let herself in when no one could hear her hesitant knocks over Freed's cries. If looks could have killed, Bickslow would have been struck dead and buried six feet under with the open fury in the tiny dragon slayer's jaw. "I told you not-"

"I know what you told me, kid, and you can rough me up later. Just help him, please!" Bicks' face was hidden so often behind his helm, it was startling to see how intense his expressions were. The wide, tired nature of his eyes pleaded with her in tandem with his words, "I've never seen him act like this!"

Waves of different emotions sprawled over Wendy's face one after another, until she rounded on Freed's curled body. With a collectedness she normally exuded whilst healing in battle, the tiny dragon crept cautiously to the chair to stand in front of the normally so proud man.

"Freed?? Hey..." She soothed when he looked up at his name. "Not feeling so good huh?" Wendy placed a hand on the knee he'd bent in on himself defensively. "I'm so sorry your evening was cut short, but I'm here to help you feel better. I need to know how much alcohol you had tonight."

Still sniffling with tears rolling down his porcelain cheeks, the rune mage thought for a moment and answered weakly into his tissue, "I had a shot of something herbaceous... and a whisky double on the rocks."

Wendy seemed to visibly relax. "And how much water??" Rubbing her fingers in circles against his knee, she attempted to channel her healing energy into her friend without being too noticeable. Sudden changes seemed to really throw him sideways.

Freed gaped at the slayer, his eyes growing wide when a familiar shimmer of dark green dust flowed around her. "You have a halo just like him..." he began to smile, placing his head back onto the chair to stare through the ceiling in a day dream.

Wendy frowned and looked up to Bickslow, who shared her expression. "He's hallucinating as well? What exactly was in that first shot?"

"Trouble." The seith mage said simply shaking his head. "I just wanted him to have a good time..." There were tears in his eyes as he looked down at his friend and continued to slide his fingers through his emerald hair. "He never lets loose, you know? He's always so in control and stiff, even when he thinks he's relaxing..."

"He gave me three glasses of water, and all I gave him was a kiss on the hand," Freed mused sadly.

"Okay, Freed, you're going to see some bright light, and you might feel a tightness in your stomach, but it will be over in minutes. Do you trust me?" Wendy asked, crawling up next to him into the chair.

"I suppose I do. You're a nice girl, Wendy Marvel." The rune mage smiled shyly from behind a new tissue.

Wendy grinned softly, throwing her legs over one of his and nestling into his chest, placing a delicate palm over his chest."I'm glad to hear that. Now, I want you to think about constructing a rune trap for me."

Freed hesitated thoughtfully, his chin resting above one of her azure pigtails."What kind?"

"One for a very physically strong enemy." She prompted, allowing her finger tips to gently spike with her healing magic.

"Well that's easy, first I would just... I feel... funny..." Freed's thoughts began to derail when Wendy's spell began to leach out the effects of the previous one.

"That's okay. Hurry and figure out how to construct that trap." It took all her strength to concentrate and speak at the same time. Porlyuska could heal and hurl insults together with ease, but the slayer was young yet in her training despite the power she held.

"Laying the first rune is easiest, "Fehu" in order to crate the initial binding chain. Second, depending on the general makeup of the mage, I would either..."

Freed continued his in depth analysis of the proper use of protection-based runes when Wendy slumped back against the chair's arm to his side, sweating.

"That's good, Freed. I've finished getting everything out of your system." She panted, closing her eyes.

Now that she mentioned it, he did feel a bit better. Not perfect by any means, but more level headed. The events of the evening left a strange taste in his mouth, almost as if he'd had a nightmare. Without the effects of the alcohol or spell in his system, he saw with more clarity the concerned expressions of his nankawa around the room.

Clearing his throat, he put a hand on the slayer's crown. "I apologize for any and all difficulty I've given you." Suddenly sheepish, he turned to his roommate and smiled through his discomfort. "Especially for encroaching on your evening in, Levy."

Smiling back, the blunette waved it away, giggling at the situation. "I'm just relieved you're okay! You really had us worried, roomie!"

"As for you," he rounded on Bickslow with his bangs nearly covering his normally visible eye, "I want to express the severity of the situation you put me in tonight. I have... standards... for my actions in the public eye, and my ability to-"

"Got it." The seith mage put his hands up in surrender, " Tonight was not worth it. It won't be happening again."

"I'm still not sorry for striking you." Freed glowered, but his composure was returning. He knew his fellow Raijinshuu hadn't had any ill intent, even in the misguided attempt to force him to relax. "All the same, I would appreciate some discretion should the content this evening be discussed outside this room..."

"I'm not stupid enough to piss you off again. Your rings sting too much." Bickslow's tongue wagged out of his grinning mouth while he rubbed at a particularly concentrated burst of red on his cheekbone.

"You truly ARE a child, Bicks."


	2. Edges

_Good evening! I needed a Valentines Day post up for tomorrow, so heres my favorite dorks being awkward. Next chapter needs some love so it may be a few weeks. Thank you for your patience!_

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 **Chapter 2: Edges**

In the history of Earthland, there had never been such a hangover. The minute Freed had opened the guild hall's doors, he'd regretted not staying home. The ever-exuberant Natsu and Grey were at it again trading blows, hurling insults and breaking an assortment of furnishings. The vast majority of those present were disinterested in their activities, instead opting to scoot their chairs out of the way of the brawl to continue sipping their ale.

Levy had left their home much earlier than the pounding of his skull would allow, taking young Wendy with her. Under the circumstances, he normally would have taken time to recover, but he didn't feel right not having thanked her properly for her services. Finding them among the chaos,however, was easier said than done considering their height among their nakama.

Finally he spotted Levy at a corner table with Pantherlily in her lap. The rune mage made his way past an already disturbingly drunk Cana emphatically throwing punch after punch into the air with her story telling. Dodging a flying pile of splintered wood that once could have been a bench, he came to rest at his roommate's side.

"Good morning, Levy, Pantherlily." Freed greeted with a slight bow. "Would one of you be able to tell me where I could find Miss Wendy?"

The script mage smiled politely and opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by the sound of a thunderous voice behind him. "Freed! Are you feeling alright?"

There was no voice he would rather have forgotten. No voice he wished his nerves didn't stand on end to instantly. The sound of his masculine timbre made his entire being quake in a curious mixture of desire, regret and sorrow. "I am fine, Laxus." Freed answered through thinly-stretched lips and without turning; he needed to make his escape sooner rather than later, so he prioritized. "Now, Levy, if you could kindly-"

Laxus scoffed, irritated and being shirked off as it was not a feeling he was accustomed to. "Don't be like that... Ever told me about last night..."

Perfect. Fucking perfect. It couldn't be helped, he supposed, but now he really needed this conversation to be over.

Still without facing him, Freed clenched his fingers in on themselves until they shook uncommonly pale in twin fists. He could do this, he could give him the polite 'none of your business, you hurtful swine'."I do not know what you have heard, but I assure you I am perfectly fine." Nailed it; he would be on his way now.

Alas, plans never quite work out.

An aggressive hand reached out and twirled him to look into beautifully worried eyes and the rune mage felt his resolve crumbling beneath him. The slayer was so close Freed could smell the spice of his conditioner, the familiar intoxication making his knees buckle and his heart quicken. "Like hell you are! You look like crap and it's not like you to drink to excess..."

The rune mage flinched from the contact. Some deep anxious shame roiled in his belly. He'd had enough of this dance; enough of the constant fight for mental superiority over his own inconvenient and self-deprecating feelings. Coupled with the fury of being so weak as to need assistance from Wendy's magic or drinks to settle him at all roared in his defence.

An odd feeling: noxious as poison in his veins with a sudden blaze alight in his chest. The dam broke, and for the first time, Freed fixed his narrowed eye to the man he didn't want to love anymore and spilled a portion of the toxicity.

"I SAID I AM FINE, LAXUS. WHY MUST YOU HARASS ME SO?"

Laxus withdrew a half step in surprise, and maybe a hint of sad guilt, but quickly bounced back with a glare Freed hadn't quite had the pleasure of being on the receiving end of. There was a familiar stinging in the corner of his eyes that signaled the approach of tears; Freed silently prayed he'd leave the guild before they fell.

"WHAT is your PROBLEM, FREED?" The much larger man crossed his arms over his broad chest and leered defiantly into the rune mage's face. "I was just making sure you were alright! That's what FRIENDS do for each other!"

Yes, 'friends'. Like he'd needed the reminder. A part of Freed that stood calm and collected in the face of difficulty propped him up, but another grieved, shaking his already trembling frame even more violently. Suddenly, he was afraid he'd say something he'd regret further, the rejection building all of his unsaid words into a metaphysical bile in his throat. They burned, begged to be released; to lash out maliciously. They begged for HONESTY.

"Why don't ya take a walk, Sparkplug?" A voice graveled next to him, low and rough. Freed would have inspected the source, but stood still, concentrating on remaining upright. "If yer such a good friend and all, maybe ya should clean out the arrogance from your skull an' give him time when he asks fer it."

"What the fuck would you know about it, Irontits?" Laxus sneered, breaking eye contact with his team mate in favor of addressing the opposing voice. "It's not like you have feelings anyway you hunk of scrap metal, so fuck right off already."

"Ya know," the other voice considered, a deep, dark aura emanating from the venom in his words, "Yer a real piece'a shit, Laxus. What makes you think he owes you any explanation for what he does or don't do?" Freed's eyes widened, but the rest of him stayed stalk still for fear of creating a brawl with the palpable tension in the air. Pieces of his poorly jigsawed insides ached with relief and embarrassment. "Why don't YOU fuck off and leave'im alone, like he was fuckin' tryin' to tell you to?"

'Please do.' Freed's inner voice pleaded. The emerald strands on his hairline raised imperceptibly, flooding his stoney face with relief.

"What the FUCK do you care anyway, Gajeel?" Laxus left his vision, and Freed followed him, turning his head robotically to see him stand chest to chest with the Iron dragon slayer. The electrical field around the two began to hum with the charge of the blond's magic, yet the shorter mage stood his ground, unyielding and unafraid.

...what DID Gajeel care?

"I don't," he growled, his eyes narrowing at the aggressive posturing of the much larger dragon. "I'm sittin' here tryin' to eat and can't fuckin' chew without hearin' your ugly mug jabber on and on when he clearly wants you to shut the fuck up and leave him alone."

The lightning dragon's eyebrows raised. This was bad. This was going to become violent. "You want to take this outside?"

The dark man shook his head, smiling and meeting his leer with condescending satisfaction at having struck a nerve. "Don't need ta. Yer already done here."

Shit. Now he'd done it; Laxus' spine went rigid, a pressure building in the muscles of his back. "Please, be civil..." Freed offered, watching trouble brew in the swelling in Laxus's shoulders. The other man's facade hadn't changed, and for all intents and purposes appeared relaxed if it weren't for the prominent vein protruding from his temple.

"Like fucking hell I am," the blond's voice lowered dangerously. "I'm here checking on my friend and you have the sack to-"

The arrogant smile flew from Gajeel's features as he cut Laxus off. "Oh yeah, let's talk about that," the dragon pressed his chest into Laxus and glowered into his steely blue eyes, "Let's fuckin' talk about the bullshit friendship ya have with'im. What kind'a backwards fuck is so insecure he leads someone on just ta stroke his own ego?"

Fangs bared, the blond shoved the other slayer with his own breast. "I don't know what you're-"

"You do," Gajeel sneered, adjusting to the bounce and sending it right back into the center of the other's chest, "...you fucking do, ya pile'a shit. Yer a slayer, and unless yer fucked up second generation lacrima senses are INFERIOR to my own…" an angry growl crashed against Laxus' gritted teeth, "...you've been aware of his attraction since it started. Be a real friend'n fuckin' leave him alone."

The Lightning dragon's enraged face had gone as purple as his shirt. "That's it! I'm gunna pound your face into the gro-"

"ENOUGH."

The argument stuttered to a stop, the two men rounding on Freed, shaking uncontrollably with every emotion from embarrassment to pure blood lust. Once he straightened the cuffs on his Red dress jacket and tamed a hair or two on his temple, he cleared his throat and turned to Levy with frustrated tears beginning to pool in his eyes.

"Please thank Wendy for me, would you my dear? I will see you at home." Speachless, Levy could only nod and clutch Pantherlily more tightly. The exceed appeared embarrassed for his partners behavior but said nothing.

Before any protest could arise, Freed made his way through the stunned crowd that parted at his approach. He couldn't believe he'd lost his temper again...

It wasn't a secret, his romantic attachment to the Lightning slayer. Although, the way in which everything had been laid so bare had stunned him regardless, especially coming from a seemingly neutral party such as Gajeel. While it had felt liberating to see someone come to his defense and put Laxus in his place, the entire interaction had been too much for him, considering the wild ride he'd had the night previous.

Any semblance of control he'd felt over his emotions was quickly slipping and Freed felt truly exposed for the first time since he'd moved out. The notion that Laxus had been a part of the cause left his heart feeling particularly chafed. Walking home, he kept his composure as best he could, though judging by the expressions of the towns people passing, he hadn't completely hidden his misery.

The moment the door had shut behind him, he sank to the wood floor in the foyer, not bothering to remove his shoes. All the pain he'd been unable to express to anyone, all the lonely nights he'd made dinner for two only to have Laxus call saying he was caught up at the guild. All the betrayal he'd felt when he found how far the so-called man of his dreams had stretched the truth in some misguided need to protect Freed and yet keep him near. It all rushed into his heart and ears and his tears were falling. They crashed heavily onto pants and mingled with his hair.

In the end, he'd had to move out; he was giving too much energy to the dragon slayer emotionally and physically. Freed was done being a dutiful househusband to an ungrateful man- cooking his meals, doing his laundry… though he acknowledged it hadn't been fair of him to think he could change Laxus. The temptation to be as close to him as possible had been more than his weak will could deny until he'd felt he'd fully broken himself.

Moving out had taken a toll on their friendship and, as a result, the Lightning slayer had at times become overbearing to be around. The man missed the convenience of Freed's companionship, and the way in which he had always gone above and beyond to keep the dragon comfortable. All negatives aside, the rune mage did genuinely think that they had a good time together when they relaxed and had fun with the rest of the Raijinshuu.

It was the toxicity of unrequited love that pushed him to move out, and now it was pushing him to move forward.

'Enough,' he thought for the second time that day.

Clenching his fists in front of him, he dried his tears and stood. He was going out tonight. He was going to do something for himself for a change. The rune mage had had enough of sitting around waiting for things to get better. Love was out there, and he certainly wouldn't be finding it if he didn't get out to look for it.

A man could only put his fist through so many walls before people avoided them altogether. What his late night "exercise routine" had done for his image, Gajeel couldn't say; but he'd found the release to be an overall positive. It's not like he was terribly well-liked to begin with, but he'd found that the edge he'd taken off of his personality had people greeting him easily and more often. At least in the guild, anyway.

'Baby steps,' he reminded himself.

Frequently.

The iron dragon was not patient, nor was he an overly pleasant mage but when it came down to it, he was useful so people kept him around. The dragon didn't seem to mind much- he wasn't one for crowds unless there was a good fist fight to be had. When he'd been contemplating going to the rave in the first place, he'd had a long conversation internally as to whether or not he was trying to be someone he wasn't in a damaging sense. There was a difference, he'd decided, between changing yourself and enhancing the good qualities you had.

So he liked to move his body. He liked a good work out.

So he enjoyed a stupid beat drop.

You couldn't trim off the edges he had, but you could certainly make them look less threatening.

Every few nights a week, Gajeel Redfox became someone else: someone who lost himself in the evening, worked every muscle he had to beat the vinegar out of him, and built a reputation as the resident big brother of the raver hang in downtown Magnolia. A nameless man the bar staff knew who made sure others were taken care of and had a good time.

It had been something sacred; an activity he'd kept from those few closest to him for himself. After last night, however, he wasn't sure he'd be able to go back.

The energy had been particularly lively, the ravers and candy kids waving excitedly at his entrance before continuing to move. Some new faces, but mostly regulars around. He kept watchful eyes out on the overindulgers stumbling about.

A woman in particular had caught his eye when she accidently bumped into him. She was furiously beautiful, with shocking green hair ornamented with dark yarn and bobbles. The way her hips swayed beneath the corset heated his cheeks, and he began to dance more vigorously trying to relax his mind. The hint of pale skin above her jeans bowed to accommodate the jagged bones and, try as he might the dark man could only lick his dry lips beneath his mask.

'Move faster,' he thought. He couldn't get an erection here without everyone noticing. 'Fuck, don't look at'er hips, pervert.'

She appeared to be enjoying herself, but there was something about the way she stumbled in her dance and the sallow tint of her cheeks that spelled trouble. He'd seen some of the younger attendees overdose before, and this looked shockingly similar.

Or, even more troubling, what if someone had dosed her?

The thought pushed the Iron Dragon into action. When she opened her eyes, they were a deep shade of blue that made his heart drop into his stomach. He put a hand on her shoulder and she wobbled, unable to right herself. So Gajeel took her to the bar, making note of her curiously thin, elongated frame that seemed out of place.

Once he'd settled her with some drinks at the bar, he could see the woman perk up some. Having done his job, he turned to go, but not before his waving hand was snatched up and gently kissed by the grateful woman. Gajeel's heart swelled, and he considered for a moment what it would be like to kiss her back. Then, the reality of his situation clicked.

The Fairy Tail symbol on their hand... the green hair... the deep blue eyes that leered longingly into his...

Not a woman. Freed. His guildmate. Staring at him like he wanted to be much... much closer. The mask he wore deadened his sense of smell that usually went haywire in such a crowded place, otherwise he would have recognized the rune mage instantly despite his outfit.

Wait, Freed wasn't the type to travel alone...

His worst fears were confirmed when he could see the seith mage making his way over. If Bickslow used his figure eyes, he'd know exactly who he was and he didn't exactly want to have a discussion about why Freed was eye fucking him in a club he was uncharacteristically at. In the end, he'd fled like a coward, turning tail just to save face.

What was he so afraid of?

Even now his fingertips burned where Freed had brushed his lips. There was a queer feeling he didn't understand when he thought back to that night, one he didn't know what to do with other than squash it the way he did everything else at the moment.

Making sure his ear plugs were secured, he entered the club, his iron piercings sinking one by one into his face. Gajeel took the time to acknowledge those tending bar for the evening before weaving into the already pulsing crowd. His regulars greeted him and mimed their awe of his new mask. It was a deep red that matched his eyes with sharp spikes protruding in each corner.

The iron slayer breathed deeply, allowing all but the beat of the music to fall away before he moved. His rhythm off today, but he chalked it up to the last bit of tension leaving his body. If he kept at it, he'd find it again. He always did.

Once Gajeel relaxed, he let the music grab hold, and his movements were easy and fluid. A contented sigh escaped him and he marveled in how easily he breathed, which meant it was time to go to work. Every last bit of the anxiety that took hold yesterday, including the discomfort given courtesy of the electric asshole today was going to be gone by the time he left.

Little did he know that hesitant eyes were watching him nervously from across the room. Despite his attire change, there was no one with movements so captivating to Freed who sat at the bar nursing a small drink. The man who'd saved him was right there, all he had to do now was pluck up the courage to go to him.

'Nut up,' Bickslow would have said.

He hadn't dressed for the rave, and he felt terribly out of place among the colorful people passing him by. He was ill-equipped to transform himself the way Cana and Lucy had done and Freed's clothes hadn't been washed from the other night. The thought of the sweat-covered outfit being reworn disgusted him.

So here he was, somehow underdressed, when in most places he appeared far too formal.

Freed shook the thought from his head; he was stalling now. Gripping the folded paper tucked away in his jacket pocket, the rune mage stood, slammed what was left of his liquid courage and walked forward. The closer he came to the dark man moving with the music, the more he shook with nerves.

By the time he'd reached the heart of the mass of dancing people, he could only stand and watch in awe as the dark stranger moved, his eyes closed. There was an agitated nature to his dancing that was fascinating to watch up close. The ravers around knew to give him plenty of room for fear of being socked in the face by a muscled limb.

Just when he'd built up the courage to tap his shoulder, the stranger made a pulling motion with his hands and slid them salaciously down his torso, his gloved fingers rippling down each wave of his chiseled abs. Sweat pooled on his belly, his deep green shirt sticking to his body.

The rune mage swallowed hard, desire crashing against his body over and over, only to drop low in his groin when the man's hand caressed his own pants. 'Shit,' he thought, 'I'm in over my head. I need to get out of here...'

A collection of younger women passed by and stared at him in curiosity. Freed smiled and gave them a hesitant wave, grateful for the distraction. Somehow they took the gesture as an invite to dance with him. Their candy-stained mouths grinned all around, infectiously urging him to move.

Perhaps a bit of dancing would calm his nerves. And his libido. After all, he wasn't here for his body.

'Oh, but what a body…' he thought, biting his tongue.

It was much more difficult for the rune mage to find the beat and maintain it without Wendy's spell to relax him. Several minutes later he'd managed to nearly elbow someone in the face, bumped into a very secure man dressed mostly in rainbow fish netting, and step on several feet. The crowd adjusted, giving him a wide berth for his longer arms.

The key for Freed was observation; there'd never been an opportunity to learn this style of dancing, so he watched everyone else and added on as he went. Everyone seemed to have their own way of doing things, so he tried to vary off of what people did around him. The sea of people managed to lump the rune mage and the dragon slayer into a large circle together, something the rune mage didn't realize when he'd become caught up in the music.

Gajeel however, did notice and a heavy weight fell into the pit of his stomach. What was he doing here? Were the others here as well?? Taking a chance, the dragon unlocked one side of his mask and inhaled. The assault of jumbled scents thick with cologne, sugary sweets, and alcohol stung his eyes and he quickly snapped his mask back into place, breathing the dulled air through the mask in relief.

He couldn't risk it.

Turning to leave, he pushed his way through the crowd until his exit was made. The cool air greeted his tired muscles as he stalked off toward the tree line, feeling more confident the further away from the club he got.

"Wait! Excuse me, sorry about that... wait a moment, sir!" Freed called out to him, tripping over a particularly short raver who squawked angrily at the contact. He finally caught up with the stranger as they were turning around at the vibrations on the pavement. Gajeel quickly reached up to his ears and removed his earplugs standing face to face with the rune mage in the street lamp's light.

Fuck… what now??

In the glow of the lanterns, Freed could see the deep red irises watching carefully beneath the man' hood. They glistened like dark garnets, pulling him in and catching the breath he'd just taken. "E-excuse me for the intrusion..." The rune mage stuttered, still catching his breath and reaching for his pocket. "I-I didn't know if I'd be able to properly thank you for last night in there, so I wrote this all down..."

With two hands the green haired man handed Gajeel a folded piece of paper avoiding his gaze in a bow. Taking it slowly, he unfurled a lengthy note scrawled in a swirling cursive. It would take him a while to decipher it as more complex letters just seemed to melt together when he read them. The dragon looked up from the note to see Freed staring, his back still bent. When he looked at him like this, he couldn't help but remember the lust-hooded gaze from the night before when his lips adored his fingertips.

Gajeel took a half step backward.

Freed seemed to notice his nerves and spoke quickly, trying to overcome his nerves before the man could flea again."Thank you for aiding me last night. I was in a bad way... and I was not myself." Freed bowed deeper still, his green locks nearly sweeping the pavement. "It's all in the letter there... but... I was wondering..."

What? What was he wondering exactly? Anxiety gripped him as the stranger stood patiently, watching his struggle closely.

"I-I'd like to get to know you better. S-so... if you were at all interested... my number is at the bottom of that paper. N-no pressure. It's not every day one gets rescued by a handsome stranger..." The rune mage looked up from his bow and he slowly straightened, smiling shyly. "I had to take this chance. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to be getting home before the little nerve I have left dissipates entirely."

Gajeel looked down at the note in his hand, a pink blush crawling over his cheeks only after Freed turned and left him standing alone. His guildmate's walk was dignified and proper, a soldier's gait. That is, until he thought he was out of sight, then he quickened his pace to a full out sprint back to Fairy Hills.

The walk home left Gajeel playing catch up with the hammering of his heart, until he decided to take a leaf from the other man's book and run the rest of the way. Might as well put all that wild thumping to good use.

Turning on the simple lamp beside the doorway, Gajeel retrieved the paper from his pants pocket. When he opened it, he admired the elegantly scrolled cursive; the ink was a deep emerald green that shimmered in the low light. His own handwriting was terrible, and seeing the written word so artfully executed seemed precious. It was a struggle, but he managed to make out what it said after reading the sentences a few times.

'My Shining Knight,

Thank you for your help this evening previous. It had been a rough one, and I had definitely needed it. A spell I had used to counteract my anxious nature mixed very badly with alcohol, as you found.'

Gajeel paused. So THAT'S what happened. He'd never seen Freed so much as tipsy before, let alone out-of-his-mind-shit-faced-drunk.

'It is possible I could have developed a serious condition had you not intervened when you did. Who knows where I would have ended up, considering. I am most grateful to you for aiding a stranger.

If there is anything I can do to repay your kindness, do not hesitate to ask.

Yours,

Freed Justine'

The rune mage's number sat at the bottom of the paper with a postscript.

'P.s. I hope to hear from you soon.'

The last line stuck with the dragon as he disrobed, intending a shower to wash off his makeup and sweat. Since he was still alone, he allowed himself to continue being the dark man from the club while turning the knobs in the wall; the open-minded individual that was untouchable in his thoughts and actions so long as they were good.

The steaming water invited him in past the curtain, and cleansed his tension with a sigh. Should he get in touch with him? Did he want that? The fact that he hadn't immediately thrown the idea out surprised him, given that he had always assumed he was straight. If he was really honest with himself for a minute, he found he was attracted to women, but hadn't ever discredited a handsome man either. They were equally aesthetically pleasing in wholly different ways.

Gajeel hadn't found a reason to consider attraction beyond observing it for what it was. He had people close to him, attractive people even, yet things had never gone any further than a pleasant exchange. The dragon shifted his face under the stream and scrubbed with his hands, sighing when he bent forward to let the shower pour over his head. Watching his makeup swirl around the drain, he supposed no one had ever really approached him about it.

Who would? He wasn't exactly friendly.

Levy was with Jet, and happily so. There had been some hard feelings to work through where the speed mage was concerned, but time had only healed old wounds. The man had even bought him a beer after a hard days work one night, which most men knew as the secret 'You're alright by me' gesture. As long as he treated Shorty right, that's all Gajeel cared about.

Both Lucy and Natsu had claim on each other, no matter how they fought their feelings. The attraction radiated from the two whenever they were near to one another. For a moment, Gajeel thought about what it would be like to be intimate with the fire dragon and grimaced. Physical attractiveness clearly wasn't everything.

There wasn't enough bleach in Magnolia to unthink those thoughts.

Freed, however, was an unknown; someone he'd had so few interactions with that if someone were to ask him to describe what he were like, he'd have a fair amount of difficulty coming up with an answer. At least he would have before yesterday.

His stomach fluttered. What was with him?

Scowling, Gajeel turned back the shower knobs and reached for his towel to dry himself. The Raijinshuu member kept to himself and his small group of friends, something they had in common. He wasn't opposed to working with others, but preferred the company of those closest. Despite this, he could be considered a loner given his love of single person activities like reading and writing rune traps.

For the most part he seemed self-sufficient, yet lonely for companionship. The dragon could definitely relate there.

Curiosity getting the best of him, he threw on a pair of shorts for bed and shoved the mess that came with his preparation to go out onto the floor with a clamor. Flopping down heavily, he stared at his phone, opening the message box and inputting Freed's number. Hesitating, he wondered what he could say, what kind of person he should be.

Gajeel shook his head. There was no point in being someone he wasn't, especially if things went well enough it became a regular occurance.

Slowly with unpracticed thumbs, Gajeel started simple. He didn't want to get into who he was at this point, especially if it didn't work out. The keys were so small he had to delete several letters and start his word over again, making him nervous.

"Thanks for the note. Glad u feel better."

Perfect. Light, and he wouldn't have to ask who it was. After he hit send, he turned his light out beside him, and rolled over, cuddling a pillow to try to sleep. The house was so quiet once he stilled, and he found himself peeking over at his phone occasionally. Gajeel sighed in frustration and rolled again until he faced his phone laying on the bedside table.

His eyes started to droop heavily when a bright light nearly blinded him and the dragon heard an unfamiliar buzz from the phone. Picking it up, he hit the button to open the notification.

"I do, and you are most welcome. I am surprised to hear from you already, if I'm honest. I would have thought I had scared you off with how forward I was."

Reading the message, a small smile began to creep across his mouth.

"Takes a lot 2scare me. Wasn't sure what 2 say tho."

Actually there was a lot he wanted to say, but few he could...

Bzzzzt.

"Ah. Nerves?"

More like terror.

"U could say that."

In that moment, Gajeel felt uncomfortably transparent.

"What makes you nervous about this, if you don't mind my asking?"

Gajeel frowned and thought a few minutes before responding. What was his honest reason for feeling anxious besides the obvious?

"Guess it's cuz I've never done this b4."

It wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't a lie. He was out of his element.

"Done what? Saved a stranger who ended up hitting on you outside a club?"

Smirking, Gajeel propped his pillows up against the headboard and laid back more upright.

"Haha well, ya. All of that. Never had someone wanna get 2 know me. Not like I think ur meaning, anyway."

A longer pause for Freed's response made the iron dragon wonder if perhaps he'd said the wrong thing or not. When he set the phone down his stomach flopped, then uneasily flopped again when he answered, the noise startling him in the darkness.

"That surprises me, especially since you seem like a real catch to me so far. There's a first time for everything I suppose, and I too must admit I haven't actually had the opportunity to 'get to know' someone. Things have been incredibly one sided up until this point- I hope that's not too bold to say..."

Frowning, Gajeel began trying to text faster, his fingers struggling to keep up with his brain.

"I'm sorry. That must have been hard. What do u mean? What's too bold 2 say?"

Fuck, he really sucked at this. He couldn't even text correctly, let alone figure out what the hell this adorable fucking nerd was trying to tell him.

"I was implying that we have a mutual connection, but I thought I may be overzealous in thinking that way. Thank you, it was hard, but I'm trying my best to move forward to a more positive chapter in my life."

Over-whatnow? What a headache.

Opening the search engine on his phone he searched for the definition.

He left the tab open. Just in case he needed it again.

"Sorry, that was a new word 4 me. I like that ur overly excited about us talking. It feels good 2 make positive changes. Maybe I can be a part of that?"

After hitting send, Gajeel mashed his face into a pillow trying to contain the heat on his cheeks. His heart was pounding with how brazen he'd been to say something like that. He growled his displeasure at the butterflies knocking wildly against his insides.

"Yes. Yes, I would like that very much. Thank you for... well, this. I need a fresh start."

Wow. His smile actually hurt his face it was so wide now. Gajeel blinked at his screen to ensure he hadn't misread the message and made an excited giggle slide out between his amorous pillow cuddles.

What was he, some sort of girl or something?

Still… it felt good to… look forward to something new.

"The pleasure is mine. I'm starting 2 fall asleep. Don't want 2 leave u hanging on accident."

It wasn't that he was actually tired at this point so much as he began to feel uncomfortable with how much the rune mage was a effecting him. He'd never felt this way before in his life.

"Of course. I should probably sleep as well. Sleep well, Dirty Angel."

Gajeel stared at his device.

"Hahaha what??"

Bzztt...

"Something that came from my night of intoxication."

Gajeel considered the phrase.

"Like the song?"

There was a pause before his phone lit up again.

"Is it actually a song?? Here I thought I was so high out of my mind I'd made it up. You WERE quite angelic, though, with the wings and all."

The dragon frowned at that.

"I'm no angel. I'll take the compliment, though."

His edges were looking awfully soft now, even to him.

"You are to me. Goodnight."

Gajeel pressed the edge of the lacrima to his chin, resting his lips against the screen. He almost didn't recognize himself anymore.

"Night."


	3. Cheat Day

**_A bit about me: funnel cake is life, yo. Treat yo'self! The moving situation has made getting to editing difficult, so I would like to apologize to anyone waiting for my other fics to update. I had quite a bit already written for Healing Hands so I have been able to edit whats here without too much additional writing. Wildflowers had a lot at first but I've reached a point where I'm going to need to put in the time to hash it out and make it pretty for you. Electric Love has been a write as I go project, so its purely updated by inspiration. Then there is Aqueous, who I have a small part of the next chapter done, and another fic in the AU Haikyuu!! universe I cant seem to let go of since its a smutty one-shot and I had a decent start on it. BUT, rest assured my dear readers... I shall uodate when I am able. my creativity builds with putting entirely too many creative irons in the mental fire. Much love to you all... enjoy Gajeel being a little sensitive_**.

*

 **Chapter 3: Cheat Day**

Gajeel hadn't slept the best, his mind still full of new thoughts he hadn't known what to do with. Despite the occasional yawn or two, he wasn't ill-tempered the way he normally would be if he had underslept. It may or may not have had to do with the greeting text he had woken to early that morning. It didn't surprise him that the rune mage was an early riser.

"Good morning! I hope you slept well- my own was a little preoccupied... I wonder why... ;)"

The dragon now knew what it felt like to have a fire in his belly. No wonder Natsu was so irritatingly expressive all the damn time. How annoyingly wonderful.

"Morning. Mine 2. Must be something going around. Doing anything fun today?"

Shuffling from his bed and dressing, the faint anticipation of seeing Freed at the guild hall had him grooming himself a little more that morning. Gajeel brushed the knots from dancing out of his main and tried to smooth the stubborn cowlicks from the mess, only to create a bit of a frizz. The unruly strands had him pull a grimace in the mirror that immediately faded with a fateful buzz.

The dragon quickly walked grabbed his lacrima from the charger and invaded the kitchen, shoving a haphazard pile of bread, cheese and meat into his maw.

He could get used to these little boosts of energy.

"There's a festival downtown that I'll be heading to. Call it childish, but I never can resist the promise of a funnel cake."

Half way out his door, he re-read the text, sticking his key in the door and balancing most of his sandwich between his jaws. So, he wasn't going to be at the guild??

An ache rammed into his gut.

Holy fuck. How was he THIS obsessed?

Out of principle, he forced himself to walk to the guild, chew and taste his food fully, and gratefully swallow. Had he been alone so long that any opportunity for companionship had him eagerly chomping at the bit until he bit off more than he could handle?

Well, he guessed he'd always been alone before Lily.

And now he knew exactly what he was afraid of. How long would it take for Freed to dismiss him? How long would he entertain Gajeel before finding out his real identity and casting him aside?

Or worse; what if he wasn't cut out for love at all? Destroyed the relationship from the inside with his shitty temper and inability to correctly express himself.

Suddenly taking his time walking to a common area to stalk his crush didn't seem like such a bad idea.

By the time he entered the guild hall, he'd worked himself nervous over the idea of confessing to the Rune Mage. The building was quiet, still to early for Natsu to be awake or Cana to have slept off her hangover from the previous bender and he ate his second breakfast in relative peace.

The later it became, the more curious he got as to where everyone was.

Right. The festival.

Standing from his bench with a creek, he stretched his restless arms, trying to rid himself of nerves. In a crowd, there would be no way for him to know exactly where that gorgeous green hair would show itself and he needed to prepare himself properly.

The streets had emptied as well, save for the stray struggling parent with young children all alight with joy. Steadily as the noise of celebration neared, he hunched, his nerves giving him a stomach ache the likes of which many a train ride had seen. His facial piercings broke through his skin painlessly, a reflexive counter to his anxiety.

The metal that coated his magic, spirit and body leapt forth to help him feel protected in a small way. It was no dragon's force form, but he certainly looked less friendly. Less approachable.

More dragon slayer.

The rambunctious festival goers flitted about, laughing and playing games. Socializing and becoming intimate with their partners. Arbitrarily, he spotted a young couple hold hands shyly for what appeared to be the first time. Under the guise of shopping a leather vender wares, he watched a young man fidget with his fingers before boldly taking his date's hand in his own. The kid avoided her pointed stare and the deep red of her cheeks and kept them walking toward another booth.

A small smile struggled against his resolve and weakly won; Gajeel had to acknowledge it, and his guild mate that seemed to have changed him in days. He was ready to find him now.

Funnel cake sounded good anyway.

Following his nose to the tune of butter, salt and dough, he bought a cake and lifted it to his mouth. Was Freed eating one now? Could they share one between them one day?

He chucked at that, licking his fingers clean from where the food had oozed onto him. Like he'd share something this sinful with a nerd like him.

"Can I have JUST ONE day of peace!?"

Gajeel's ear twitched, his eyes sharpening, looking past the stuffed bears, neon lights and colorful yukatas to find that beautiful heart-shaped face contorted in fury. Unblinking, he pushed his way through the crowd, his hackles rising at the answer to the rune mage's question.

"All I'm saying is I miss hanging out!" Laxus verbally rolled his eyes at Freed and Gajeel could barely contain the growl grinding behind his clenched teeth. "It'd be good for you- Bicks says all you've done this morning is stare at your phone."

'Shit! I never answered him!' Gajeel panicked, making a dead stop and juggling his cake in one hand to produce his phone from his pocket. He scrolled through three new messages he had received while he'd been utterly preoccupied with being a complete idiot!

10:41am

"What about you? Doing anything fun?"

11:37am

"Okay seriously, this whole funnel cake situation is a must. It would be crazy if I saw you here but I don't know what I would say! You make me so nervous!! Additionally, in case you were not aware, it is quite difficult to text one handed and delight in said delicacy, but oh so worth it."

1:45pm

"Good feeling gone. The bane of my existence is here. Wish someone would come along and just… oh I don't even know anymore. I just wanted to enjoy my second cake. Don't judge me, it's a cheat day."

In a hurry, he did what he'd done twice already today and shoved the entirety of his food into his mouth, bits of powdered sugar and cake sticking to his cheeks. Sticky fingers moved a bit easier over thr keys now that he had had a little more practice texting last night.

"Want me to sock blondie in the face for ya?"

As he hit send, his stomach dropped.

'Oh… SHIT.' He thought.

It was lucky he was near a tree and a trashcan all at the same time, because several things happened at once. Upon realizing his mistake, he violently choked on about ten ounces of straight funnel cake and had to hack the excess from his lungs. The powder sugar burned, but even as his eyes watered, he tried to keep himself inconspicuous and failed, as many of the patrons were now gawking at "that very large delinquent from Fairy Tail" who seemed to be having a fit against a tree.

At the same time, Freed's lacrima received his message. However Laxus, who was long passed being pissed off about being ignored, had grabbed it from his hand and was now giving him a lecture in paying attention to people who were speaking to him. From his hiding spot, Gajeel seethed, his sharpened nails scraping the bark of the tree. He had to calm down. He had to or he would do something he'd regret and this would all be for not.

"Give me back my phone, or... I'll call my very large love interest and have him pummel you until you do!" Freed growled, his words coming in short bursts to the man behind the tree as if he were leaping in place to attempt to get his phone back.

Love interest, huh? If Freed kept talking like that, he'd have to punch the electric bonehead just for sharing his angelic air.

"Love interest?? You have a boyfriend, now??? Well where is he??" He must have done something the other disapproved of, because that melodic honey voice that was beginning to stir some very real draconic possessiveness squawked in alarm.

"Th-that's PRIVATE! GIVE IT BACK!"

"'Want me to sock-'... dude, the 'bane of your existence'?? Really??" Gajeel heard the raised eyebrow in his question before he saw it, now unable to hide himself. He dusted powdered sugar off of his chest and hauled forward, cracking his knuckles. He was going to rearrange that pretty face the groupies wouldn't stop cooing over.

"Whatever. See ya round I guess."

Freed's phone was tossed back to him as Laxus pushed back through the crowd, the stench of betrayal rolling off of him in unfair waves.

Gajeel froze, his cover now too many angry steps behind him to be useful. Maybe he wouldn't read…

Freed's eyes widened, his grip on his phone tightening, and suddenly his gaze was up, and swinging wildly. He was looking for him in the crowd! Gajeel's heart raced, his smile unable to be contained when he saw the rune mage's nervous grin.

Their eyes met, and for a moment, the iron dragon couldn't breath, couldn't look away from the cerulean gaze that captivated him two nights previous. 'Hey there,' his heart said in his chest, 'It's me… it's me you're looking fo-'

Freed looked away, his eyes continuing to search among the crowd, his eyebrows slowly drawing together. Like his own.

A well of sadness opened in his chest and consumed him, his whole body tensed and then became placid. Gajeel walked back to his home, unsure what exactly he had expected.

After all… he was simply a monster in no uncertain terms.

The angry little voice in him whispered, 'He doesn't even see you. Who would? It's not like you're capable of love'.

Gajeel ran the rest of the way home. The burn in his lungs unable to surpass the jagged wound, the chip on his shoulder made to fester due to circumstance. Pantherlily greeted him on his way to join the festivities but was met with a nonplussed grunt. Used to his surly moods, the exeed shrugged it off and continued on his way.

That afternoon Gajeel put his fist through another wall. It was in the livingroom, and he knew he couldn't hide it from Lily. His cat would just have to deal with it. At the moment he could care less. He was losing control… he couldn't keep this up, his facade of being a human decent enough to explore love.

He knew it wasn't fair, knew it wasn't something he could blame Freed for in the slightest. It didn't take the edge off of his utter disappointment and self-loathing, but it did make his longing body itch. These hands weren't those of a healer. They weren't gentle or clean, and they were scarred more than they weren't.

His hands had done terrible things. This was just another reminder, another nail in his lonely coffin and plunged carelessly into a dilapidated hillside plot of truth.

Texts flooded him that evening, but his heart was so blistered he couldn't bare to respond even after Freed became overtly concerned.

1:52pm

"YOU ARE HERE??! WHERE ARE YOU?"

2:00pm

"Seriously, come find me!"

2:10pm

"It turns out one and one quarter fried desserts is my limit. I'm heading home."

5:09pm

"My angel, I feel like I said something wrong?? I know you don't know me well, but I absolutely guarantee I didn't intend to upset you…"

9:36pm

"I hope we can talk tomorrow. I know it's silly… but I miss talking to you. I'm a little distressed and, well, I'm worried I seem desperate to you… I just wish for you to know that if it is indeed something I did, it was unintended."

9:45pm

"Goodnight, my angel. Thinking of you."

The late evening was still, the wind not caring to blow the stagnant air and yet Gajeel was restless. He tossed and turned to find a comfortable sleeping position, but it was impossible when his whole body was wracked with discomfort. Guilt had finally found him, and he couldn't stand the thought of being the reason Freed was upset.

With a frustrated growl he yanked his phone from the charger, twisted himself in a mess of blankets and pillows and began to jam his thumbs into the device.

"Sorry. I hope you're not mad. It's not your fault I'm such an idiot."

The dragon looked at the time and hissed; it was nearly three in the morning. He'd probably get the message in the morn-

Bzzt…

His hands shook, unsure what he'd find when he finally unlocked his phone. But, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?? Gajeel nuzzled anxiously into his comforter and finally read the response.

"What happened? Are you alright?"

Gods, he didn't deserve this beautiful creature.

"I was sad. It's not your fault. Saw you read my text, then you looked for me, and…"

There was no way to make this sound less juvenile than it was. Gajeel bit the corner of his pillow and continued.

"...you looked RIGHT AT ME but of course you didn't know it. That's why I'm sorry."

There was an agonizing pause while he waited for Freed. He hoped he wouldn't have to explain himself further, but it seemed his guild mate's patience had worn thin in the time it had taken Gajeel to get back to him.

"What exactly made you sad? I'm having difficulty understanding why you wouldn't say something. I was concerned, obviously, seeing as I'm wide awake at 3:30 in the morning."

Gajeel tightened his grip on the pillow in his arms.

"I didn't want to make you worry, that's wasn't why… Freed, I'm afraid you won't like me. I'm afraid once you know about me, you'll change your mind. I haven't felt like this before and I'm convinced you're not going to be able to handle my baggage."

The wound was opening, and he felt ill-equipped to stop it.

"I'm going to ask you a question and I would appreciate your honesty. Are you in some kind of trouble?"

He couldn't suppress the dark chuckle that leaked out between his sheets.

"No. I have had my fair share of past mistakes tho. I was with a guild that didn't have the greatest reputation- not a dark guild but close enough in my book."

Honesty.

"So you're a mage! We have something in common! Troubled youth? Not to stereotype, but I had guessed that already. Remember, my angel, you can't change the past only your present. No use crying over it now… tell me more about yourself? Please?"

What could he say without incriminating himself?

"I'm 28, I take jobs that allow me to be physical. It is what I do best, I think."

Safe and honest.

"Oh! A younger man! Does four years bother you terribly? I myself use magic that allows my knowledge to shine, but it can be quite physical when used for such purposes. What about this obvious self-loathing you're sporting? Have you ever intentionally hurt someone through this old guild who didn't deserve it?"

The dragon's breath shot out of him. Baby steps.

"You being older doesn't bug me. Honestly, yes. I have."

A quick response surprised him after that. He'd thought that would have cut the contact for sure.

"How did that go for you?"

What an odd question to ask.

"I did what I could to make up for the shitty things I did in my life before my current guild. Those I hurt... we actually get along well. They're good people. Taught me what it meant to be decent."

Wasn't that the truth. He wouldn't be here baring his soul to a potential interest if it weren't for them. He wouldn't have so many things.

"Sounds like you're lucky to have them."

Gajeel stretched himself out, feeling more relaxed in the moonlight shimmering through his curtains. It made him feel romantic, and he wished more than anything he had that uptight nerd here to share it with.

"I am. Damn lucky. Not that I'd tell them that. Have I scared you off yet?"

He wouldn't blame him.

"Not remotely. I too have done my fair share of unfavorable deeds. All for a man who couldn't even look me in the eye when I left our shared home."

Memories of the Raijinshuu attempting to take control of the guild swam in his mind. Laxus didn't exactly have a great track record and Freed still had a thing for him. Maybe there WAS hope.

"Dude sounds like a real asshole. Then again, so am I. I nearly busted his face in when he took your phone from you. God, that's not your type, is it? Assholes??"

Sure seemed like it from where he was standing.

"Certainly not. Although, apparently 'rough around the edges' is. I've finally calmed myself enough I think I can sleep. It's late, are you feeling alright now?"

The dragon's heart swelled, his needy digits clutching his naked chest beneath his shirt.

Fuck… this feels like…

'Stop,' he told himself. 'It's too early to think like this.'

"I feel better. Thanks. I'll sleep really well now, Freed."

A low hum in his chest rumbled affectionately. If he thought really hard, he could imagine those pale fingers taking his hand just as they had that night.

"Allow me one last question?"

Gajeel grinned, his brain foggy already with sleep.

"Anything."

He meant it too. Anything, except…

"I'd like to know your name."

Fucking hell.

All that flowing positivity turned to snakes in his insides.

What could he say? What could be done? He wasn't ready for this. He wasn't ready for reality to stun him and push this gift away.

"Please, beautiful… not yet."

He nearly drifted away with the sleepy tide before his answer came.

"This isn't over, my angel. You're lucky you're a catch and I'm quite fatigued. I'll have you know I'm capable of great tenacity when awake. Sleep sweet."

That, he didn't doubt. The tired stress nearly had him whining, his fingers texting the last message of the evening before he fell over the edge into his dreams.

"Thank you. Sleep sweet."


	4. One Missed Call

_Hello beautiful people! I went on a tangent and ended up somewhere unexpected! So thats always fun! Enjoy!_ _I do not own Fairy Tail._

 **Chapter 4: One Missed Call**

After a late evening, Gajeel was surprised to wake to his phone already blinking. He thought for sure he would have tired him out enough to be up first this time.

When he opened the message, however, there was only a link, sans message. Curiosity peaked, he pressed it and snuggled back into his crimson sheets.

An audio clip popped up and began playing.

 _Heaven only knows where you've been._

 _But I don't really need to know,_

 _I know where you're gonna go:_

 _On my heart, where you're resting your head._

 _And you just look so beautiful,_

 _It's like you were an angel._

 _Can I stop the flow of time?_

 _Can I swim in your divine?_

 _'Cause I don't think I'd ever leave this place._

 _Oh, turn the lights turn the lights down low._

 _Yeah, now I'm feeling you breathing slow._

 _'Cause, baby, we're just reckless kids_

 _Trying to find an island in the flood._

 _Oh, turn the lights, turn the lights down low, oh._

 _Under heavy skies in the rain,_

 _You're dancing in your bare feet_

 _Just like we're in a movie._

 _Grab my hand and we're chasing the train._

 _I catch you looking back at me_

 _Running through a cloud of steam._

 _And I will give you everything baby._

 _But can you feel this energy? Take it._

 _You can have the best of me baby_

 _And I will give you anything._

 _Can you feel this energy? Take it._

 _You can have the best of me baby._

 _Oh, turn the lights turn the lights down low._

 _Yeah, now I'm feeling you breathing slow._

 _'Cause, baby, we're just reckless kids_

 _Trying to find an island in the flood._

 _Oh, turn the lights, turn the lights down low, oh._

Partway through the song, the dragon shut his tired eyes. He hummed the somewhat familiar tune and felt his cheeks burn when he finally listened to the words he'd overlooked previously.

When it had finished, his garnets reemerged and focussed back onto the screen in his hands. He wasn't great with technology, but he did know how to do one thing with his phone.

"New ringtone 4 u." He responded, opening the app and clipping a piece of the song. Gajeel replaced his old sound, snickering at the Basshunter song he had been using for the last several years.

A response came after he'd set it up and was mid lazy stretch.

"Implying I'll be able to call you one day, Mr. Still Nameless Angel?"

Gajeel grinned and rolled out of bed, nearly walking into the wall of his doorway due to texting.

"Sooner rather than later, I hope. If I can stop being a coward."

They chatted through the afternoon, long into his making late lunch, grooming, and leaving for the Guild hall in the early evening to check out the assignment board. He'd need to take a job sooner rather than later with money stretching thin.

Taking a seat with a few flyers to look at, Gajeel played with a nail between his teeth as he read. Until a familiar scent hit him and his sharp eyes scanned the room, rounding on Freed who was furiously thumbing away at the device in front of him beside Evergreen and Elfman making plans for the weekend.

When his own phone buzzed in his pants pocket, a grin only broken by the piece of metal hanging between his lips spread easily over his face. Retrieving it, he read the new message awaited him.

"What exactly is the deal with couples practically engaging in verbal sex in public? My friends leave much to be desired in the manners department..."

Gajeel snorted, seeing the look of irritation on Freed's face from across the room. The dragon's grin became sharp and wicked as he typed a response.

"Jealous?"

The deep red that covered the entirety of Freed's face made his heart race. All the same the slayer was caught in a fit of giggles he tried to stifle by putting his fist in front of his mouth. He looked so cute when he was embarrassed.

"There's a difference when you have a private conversation versus practically salivating over each other publicly."

Ohoho… hedging an answer?? Gajeel couldn't leave that be.

"Didn't answer my question."

Freed was really having a tough time now; he'd adjusted his seating position a few times, looking up for help from no one in particular. All the while his face burned if possible an even brighter shade of red. It was enjoyable to see him all hot and bothered.

"Maybe. It's hard for me, since I've never really had the experience. In the end I feel like there's something I'm missing out on, but I'm too stubborn to go out and change it on a whim."

This was new information. It was his turn to swipe against his itchy cheeks with a claw.

"So ur a virgin." Gajeel typed back for clarification.

Freed deflated across the room, responding after a minute or so.

"I meant it when I said things have been one sided until this point."

Gajeel couldn't believe how distraught he felt, seeing Freed shrink in on himself. Seeing him hide his phone from prying eyes. He had to say something!

"That's nothing to be ashamed of." He texted, taking care that his response was typed completely instead of with shortcuts. Important matters deserved full attentiveness… and maybe a hint of his own honesty. "I'm not ashamed to be one, and anyone who gives me a hard time about it will find out real quick they shouldn't have. Things should happen in their own time, and from what I've seen with the drama it's caused others, I'm not necessarily looking to go handing it out randomly."

Gajeel wished he could have a photograph of the serine smile that Freed had as he read. He leaned his head into his hand and stared off into space for a moment before responding.

"I find that quality admirable. What if things continue to go well between us?"

The question didn't offer him pause, he knew exactly what to say. But the pins and needles pinched his cheeks.

"If things keep going well between us, it will happen. It would need to be an entirely mutual thing... I don't do subtle, so you'll be confident in my thoughts before things get serious that way."

"OooooOoooOoooo… Freed! Who are we talking to??"

Gajeel's eyes snapped up from the device in his hands, his body going rigid.

The rune mage also looked up, partially hiding his phone from view by edging it closer to his chest across the wood table. "Good evening, Cana. How are you?" There was a careful tone in the way he addressed her, his voice guarded.

The card mage smirked, apparently sensing his deceptive misdirection despite being utterly trashed. "Hmmm… could it be that new man of yours??" She leaned in, her eyebrows wiggling suggestively. " **HIC** … So settle a bet for me, nerd… who tops?? You're so pretty but I can hardly imagine you giving up control…"

The utterly disgusted glower Freed gave her had him putting his phone away to gnaw at the silverware he'd been eating with. His obvious discomfort made Gajeel antsy.

"We aren't discussing this." he sniffed, returning to his phone. "Besides, I'd hardly know how to answer." Freed's confession was equal parts forlorn, blissful and confused. His thumbs worked against the phone while his sad smile pushed against his cheeks.

"Oh??" Cana seemed to sober some, sitting down with him and throwing her arm around his neck. "What's wrong? You guys fighting or some- **HIC** -thin??"

Gajeel regretted being able to tear straight through metal; he really could have used something much harder to bite on at the moment. A low whine vibrated in his chest, an ache growing around it, knowing it was his fault Freed felt the way he did.

"It's nothing like that. He's just.. evasive, I suppose." Freed turned to look at Cana, who took another drink from her hip flask before rounding back at him. "He isn't my boyfriend, but I'd like him to be… and I don't even know his name."

His phone buzzed in his back pocket, startling him from the self loathing beginning to create agony in his bones. He reached back to grab his phone but balked when the card mage grabbed Freed's device and started slamming buttons.

 _' **SHIT.'**_ Gajeel thought, quickly getting up and making his way to the exit. He couldn't stay if that crazy drunkard decided to call him!

"That's just stupid! What kind of weirdo doesnt-" Cana was half way through her sentence when a shadow appeared above her. At the same moment, Freed shot forward with outstretched hands trying to tear the lacrima from his friend.

"Give him back his phone." The silhouette boomed.

The iron dragon paused, his nostrils flaring at the stench of ozone and rain and glared over his shoulder at the one person he didn't want coming anywhere near Freed. Somehow he always had a way of sticking his nose in the Rune Mage's business and it was REALLY starting to piss him off.

It always led to another crack in Freed's armor. He couldn't allow it, but he also couldn't stay here, not with a pint of crazy reading through private text messages.

Looking up, completely disinterested, Cana merely turned her back on the towering man. "No way, Laxus. I'm doing this nerd a favor and getting to the bottom of this boyfriend thing. He's not doing right by my friend."

Completely torn between the two mages, Freed dismissed his teammate and tried to pin down one of the woman's arms to get his property back. She was a lot stronger than she looked, being Gildarts' kid and all.

"Cana, do not make me use my runes!" he growled, struggling to reach the phone.

Laxus had once again grown impatient and joined the battle of limbs, taking the opportunity to grasp at the phone when she lurched out of Freed's reach.

"Let go, Cana!" The blond growled, electricity snapping across his shoulder. "I'll set this asshole straight!"

Gajeel was going to rearrange his fucking smart-ass face if he didn't get the fuck away from him. A warning growl was crawling across his

"Laxus stop!" Freed cried, fear eeking into his eyes. "I'm perfectly capable of handling this on my o-"

A hard slap echoed through the hall. The drunken card mage lost her grip on the phone just as the Lightning Dragon yanked, his hand flying back in a fist to clock rune mage in the eye.

The short painful yelp that accompanied it was the last normal event in the guild that evening.

The edge of the door in Gajeel's hand splintered.

"Oh man!" Laxus dropped the phone back into Cana's lap, his hand hovering above the rune mage's shoulder. "Freed!! I'm so sor-!!"

The blonde suddenly slammed backward into the wall, yellowed plaster cracking around his stunned face. A mind-splitting roar had everyone covering their sensitive ears. A deep black beast, glittering in bristling scales crouched over Freed where he'd fallen on his backside, clutching a swollen eye.

His good eye was transfixed on the monster above him, surprise and lack of attack keeping him from reaching for the sword at his side.

"Oni-Chan!!" A small hurried voice came from behind the heaving creature, it's deep red eyes flickering to the source of the sound. "Gajeel-oni!! _Stop_!! It was an accident!!"

The dragon growled, it's back hunching, bowing to appear unnaturally large. Posturing to intimidate.

" _You're fucking DEAD ironshit_!" Laxus bellowed, stiffly dropping from the man-shaped dent in the wall. " _The FUCK do you think you are!?"_ His body began to inflate as well, his fangs sharpening, elongating into weapons.

"Laxus!!" Wendy cried, her own slight frame stiffening in anger and fear. "Do NOT provoke him!!"

"Stay out of this, kid! That's my best friend that wack job is on top of!" He roared a challenging draconic cry back to the iron dragon, who let loose an answering shrill punctuation that had even the blond recoiling, clamping his eyes shut.

A pink head of hair rushed forward from Laxus' six and tackled him, scales crawling over his anxious face.

"What are you DOING, MORON?" The larger dragon bellowed, surprise increasing his fury.

"Saving your LIFE, shithead!" Natsu growled trying to keep the blond contained despite his much smaller build. "You second gen really ARE clueless! Stop squirming or I'm gunna put my teeth on your neck and I swear to gods, Laxus… if anyone else gets hurt because you can't set your fucking pride aside for one second I'll kill you myself!"

Natsu couldn't look up. He had to keep his gaze lowered. Igneel's warnings flowing in his veins with practiced obedience. "Wendy!" He called, pulling the meaty arms of the man he'd captured behind his back. "Keep talking! You're doing this exactly right!"

Lucy paced anxiously, her hand on her keys. "Natsu…" she cried quietly, her chest heaving with discomfort. "...should I…?"

The Fire dragon turned and gave her a half smile, his fangs sharpening his handsome features. "It's okay, Luce. Sit down. Everyone just have a seat… hopefully this won't take long."

Sitting heavily back in her bar stool beside the quickly melting milkshake she'd ordered, she argued a childish, "But…" Her pale fingers clutched at the hem of her skirt, her honey eyes wide and full of terror.

"It's alright, sweetheart." He assured, his dark eyes nodding along with his chin, determined and resolute. "I won't let anything happen."

"Freed," Wendy urged, her body edging forward on all fours. "I'm going to need you to talk to him, help me calm him down."

The rune mage shivered, the mass of muscle above him making him feel so small. He noticed the dragon slayer's breathing was shaking, breaths being taken and expelled in a staccatoed rhythm, like the thumping of his heart was effecting Gajeel's ability to breath properly. "W-what do I say??" he asked, clutching his face painfully "Wendy, what's happening??!"

The iron dragon seemed to react to the urgent timbre of his voice, his head swinging to round on the approaching woman, taking a warning swipe with sharp claws in her direction. Even his wild locks seemed to bristle at her.

"Shhhhhhh…" She cooed, a soothing light emanating from her outstretched palms. "Gajeel-oni… I won't hurt him. He doesn't know what's going on and he's scared."

A crash sounded from across the room, Natsu quickly picking himself up from the splintered chair he'd been swung into."I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU HURT HIM, I WILL FUCKING DESTROY YOU!" The blond snarled from the floor just before sharp teeth caged the delicate spinal column where it met his skull. The returning fire dragon growled a warning, a sharp tooth breaking the surface of pale skin. "F-fuck! Okay! Take it easy!"

"Juhsh-shuh-uhh!" His captor said, a string of drool crawling across the others neck.

"Yes, Laxus. Please, be quiet." Wendy said, her gaze calm yet severe.

Bzzzt...

She tried again, her head bowing low, sitting in a childish, friendly way with legs crossed beneath her. "Brother… no one is trying to hurt him. No one is trying to challenge you. Please… just listen! Come on, Freed!!" Wendy prompted again, her voice tight with anxiety.

"G-Gajeel…" he began, initiating an immediate response from the man above him. His heavy head and mane shifted, eyes meeting his with an impassive, elusive expression. Well, better than enraged, right??

"It's okay. Y-you don't need to be angry." He said, his eyes shifting away, uncomfortable with the intensity he was now being observed with.

"That's right," Wendy agreed. "Show him your eye, Freed." She added, her body stretching flat onto the floor a few inches in front of them.

Bzzzt...

"I-I would prefer not to use my magic on a guildmate!" The rune mage said, turning to face her with his normally covered eye.

"No, show him your other eye is just bruised." She instructed, flipping over on her back, stomach exposed. Entirely submissive.

Freed's brow knitted together, but he slowly withdrew his hand and looked up between the swollen skin.

The dragon whimpered, his face coming forward and animalistically sniffed at the wound. The rune mage stayed stalk still, afraid to move a muscle. When Gajeel exhaled, his teeth bared at the imprisoned man across the room, the rune mage laid back, the scent of the beasts breath familiar.

Like chai tea.

The thought confused him. Where had he ever been close enough to familiarize himself with his guildmate this way? And why the hell was said man digging groves into the wood floor with sharp talons.

Bzzt…

"I'm okay." He said, drawing that attentive face back to his own. "...Wendy can ha-have it right as rain if you'd let her cl-close!"

The irregular way he drew breath began to deepen, a shred of human intellect shining through in the widening of his gaze.

"That's right! One little touch of my finger is all I need!" Wendy grinned from beside them on the ground, her deep blue hair fanned out beneath her as she produced a finger and held it out for the elder dragon to inspect.

At first Gajeel positioned himself in the way of the offending digit, Freed's eyes widening while he watched the dragon posture again, his nose huffing in heavy breaths.

'...He's… protecting me…' Freed thought, his chest tight with confused admiration. 'It's… sweet… but why??'

Ohh, turn the lights turn the lights down low. Yeah, now I'm feelin' your breathing slow.*

The sudden tinny sounding ringtone had Gajeel's attention swinging to his own back pocket, his hand retrieving the vibrating lacrima. Slowly, his gaze returned to the man beneath him, whose good eye had bulged.

The music cut off suddenly.

"Oh my god…" Cana, suddenly sober, reached for her open mouth and slowly let Freed's phone fall from her ear.

"...Angel?" Freed breathed, his words barely audible.

Gajeel suddenly felt the dozens of eyes on him from around the room.

"It's okay, oni-chan…" Wendy whispered, touching his forearm gently.

Immediately the dragon recoiled from the touch, his body shrinking, scales becoming fewer and fewer still. Fear and anxiety began to leak through his expression, steadily becoming more and more human. He backed away, his body beginning to tremble.

"Why?" Freed asked, sitting up slowly, his mind still struggling to accept the truth. "Why...wouldn't you just tell me?"

A desperate, embarrassed expression came with his return to normalcy on two feet. His throat was closing, his vision tunneling …

"Gajeel?"

With a quivering fist, the dragon compacted his lacrima into shrapnel in his closed fist.

Everything was fucked. How could he have been so careless??

A few stray keys from the phone shot out on impact.

"Sorry." He grunted his voice weakly tripping over the strain of self consciousness.

Before anyone could say anything, he turned and fled the guild, his body carrying him as fast as he could go. Past Fairy Tail's courtyard, past his home and into the deep forest.

Leaping over boulders, darting past trees, crashing through mud and muk until he was filthy. After his leg muscles ached, he collapsed halfway into an unfamiliar lake. The moonlight was blinding on it's disturbed surface, shimmering in widening rings around the prone slayer.

Gajeel roared into the night, bringing his fist down into the dark water with a forceful splash.

What the hell was WRONG with him??

Back at the large double doors he'd burst from, Freed stood unsure of what to do with his hands. They wanted to worry the ache in his chest, but no matter how hard his fingers dug at the skin above his heart it never eased.

"Hey." Cana sidled up sheepishly to her friend and handed his phone back. "...I didn't mean for this to happen. Just wanted your man to get down here in case things got ugly. Maybe it would get the good old "arrogant-aryan fuckboi" off your back to see you with someone."

Freed said nothing, taking the device and clutching it tightly over his sternum.

Undeterred, she put an arm around his shoulder. "...You gunna go after him?"

Was he?

"...I feel like I'll make it worse…" he admitted, his throat tight. "...I just… can't believe it."

The card mage squeezed him affectionately, retrieving her arm and setting off into the night. "Well, for what it's worth," she called without looking back, "... he sure as hell put up a fight for you."

Freed watched his guildmate make her way down the street, detouring into the liquor store.

The two images… his seemingly random club crush and the prickly guild mate… they seemed so at-odds with each other.

He looked down at his phone and read the messages Cana had sent on his behalf.

6:40 pm

"Dude, your man has a black eye. Better get over here and clobber the dick bag who gave it to him."

6:42 pm

"Okay no seriously get here. Crazy shit going down."

6:43 pm

"You better be on your way asshole my friend doesn't deserve this. Stop being a fucking piece of shit."

Then scrolled back up to his message he sent before the incident.

6:38 pm

"I want to see you. I want to talk like this in person. You're clouding my thoughts so much I can't put together an adequate sentence by my own standards."

Everything began to make sense, his anxiety about his past, unwillingness to give his name or any other concrete details that would lead Freed to his identity.

"Are you alright?"

Freed jumped, startled out of his thoughts. "O-oh! Levy!... Well, I'm not sure. It is a lot to take in."

The blunette hummed at his side, staring down the street with him. "I read about this sort of thing years ago… there's only a small portion of the dragon slayer culture that is known to the common world. I'd be willing to tell you what I know if you'd like some insight."

Freed didn't hesitate. "Please."

She took his arm and pulled him. "Walk with me."

Their mismatched steps echoed on the cobblestones and off buildings, the people of Magnolia turning in to their dinners and hanging their hats for the evening. "The simplest explanation, is that Gajeel feels an attachment to you." She began, leaning her head against his bicep. "He may not even know what that means yet, how he feels attached, I mean. All he knows is that he does."

Freed halted suddenly, stopping her from continuing.

"Does Laxus have this same thing? Is that why he won't leave me alone?" He asked, his brow furrowed.

Levy looked up at the night sky, the lantern lights obscuring her view. "No, at least not in the same way. If he had, there would have been no way they wouldn't have torn into each other tonight. We couldn't have stopped them."

Freed grimaced at the thought, starting to walk again. "And Gajeel… is it some sort of territorial reaction? Like he considers me his property and reacts when other males come near?"

Levy thought about that, then shook her head after a moment. "I'd imagine It's not a territory thing so much as fighting for the opportunity to court you." She began, tapping her lip as she thought. "He can't very well do that if you're injured, though he may have overreacted a tad. Probably due to stress not being able to come to you directly."

"Think about it," the script mage continued, her ballet slippers keeping time with her spoken words. She was like a metronome, thinking with every piece of herself, mental and physical. He had little to no reaction up until this point, and only after Laxus, someone who you're very obviously irritated with, picked on you and then accidently hurt you."

The script mage squeezed his arm. "Also consider that their interaction the other morning after the rave. Laxus was the aggressor, but Gajeel only reiterated your wishes to be left alone. That doesn't sound like typical stereotypical caveman-dragonslayer behavior for someone who would be interested in 'possessing' you."

Freed's heart leapt. Gajeel had protected him both as a stranger AND as a guild mate, all without the expectation of it leading anywhere, but out of sheer instinct… out of the rune mage being precious to him.

"Levy," he breathed, his pace quickening. "I have to find him."

The blunette lit up, bouncing to keep up with his long stride. "That's what I want to hear!! He's a good man, Freed, so whatever you decide… just be kind. He's not made of iron, as much as he may act like it sometimes."

When they reached the edge of town, Levy took the lead, knowing where Lily and Gajeel's cottage was. When they reached it, Freed faltered, his heart pounding.

"I'll admit… I feel more nervous now that I know. Is that odd?" The whites of his eyes were barely visible in this light, save for the faint inhuman glow of magic in his right eye. Crickets chirped in the wild but unkempt land surrounding the irregular shape of the home, a single point of light illuminating the simple wood crosshatch segmenting the window pane.

A stove light, maybe. Something he did for himself when he knew he'd be home late. The small, very human detail made the dragon seem approachable and somehow more intimidating. 'This could really lead somewhere,' he thought.

His companion shook her head and gave his back a weak shove."No. It's not odd at all. Stop stalling."

"Right." He exhaled anxiously "Get home safe, Levy." Opening the simple wooden gate, Freed carefully minding the spread out cobbles that created a pathway in the moonlight.

Levy smiled, watching her roommate meet the doorway before turning back to town. Once she had met the last corner on the side of town before the city district started, she crossed her arms, cocking her hip out. "I know you're there." She said, fixing her headband. "Come out. Let's go home."

Jet sheepishly came out from the alleyway, hanging his head. "He was wild moments ago. I wanted to make sure you'd be safe."

His fiance smiled, shaking her head and taking his hand. "So predictable. I honestly didn't know if you WERE there, but I'm always good with hunches!"

The speed mage smiled down at her, squeezing her palm and planting a kiss on her crown. "Think they'll work it out?"

Her smile faltered as they walked back into town, casting long shadows in the lamp light. "I don't know."


	5. Under Construction

**Chapter 5: Under Construction**

No one was home.

Or at least, Freed reasoned, no one was answering the door.

With his size, the rune mage doubted Gajeel would be very good at keeping himself quiet for long if he was patient.

Then again… he could be wrong. After all, Gajeel had trained under a dragon. Stealth had to have been a part of that, seeing as survival was key.

On the other hand… what was there for a dragon to hide from?

 _'Me, of course.'_ he thought glumly, turning a stone over and over in his fingers. Too determined to speak with him, he'd been sitting on the porch for what felt like hours. His posterior was numb, and the summer air was beginning to feel like blankets. Falling asleep, however, seemed like a terrible idea.

Dozing on a dragon's stoop probably wasn't wise given everything that had transpired.

Freed rubbed at his weary eyes. At least the night was pleasant enough, what with the string of showers the city had been experiencing the last few weeks. Juvia had had a particularly ugly fight with Grey and like clockwork the clouds had rolled in.

The silver lining in it was, because the weather had improved, there must have been some sort of resolution. For better or worse, the water nymph had calmed. Maybe that's all he was looking for, sitting here, tracing the artistic inlay on a decorative iron disk the size of a coaster. There were a few of them set in intervals around the house's perimeter; he could see them catching the light of the moon.

The one he held was particularly stunning, though he supposed they all could be, if only his eyes were better. It had lifted off of the ground with some effort, the grass and earth starting to encase it. If he squinted, he could make out the smooth relief if a dragon's silhouette curling in an "s" curve.

Turning the large coin on its side to catch the light better, he jumped out of his skin when he found he was being observed from only six feet or so away. " **MAVIS sakes!** You _startled_ me!" Freed clutched at his chest, nearly dropping the coin with his fright.

Gajeel shifted from one foot to the other. Though his features were in the shade of the moon, his silhouette was unmistakable and imposing as ever. "Just lookin' to get in my house," he muttered, hands shoved forcefully in his pockets, if the strain lines shining in the moonlight on the fabric were any indication.

Things were silent for a moment, save for the continued lullaby of insects.

"Oh. Right." Freed seemed to remember himself and stood up a little too quickly, nearly tripping over himself to move from the doorway. The proximity of him was… exhilarating, frightening, alarming. All things the rune mage could do nothing for but continue to nervously handle the metal in his hands.

Gajeel seemed to be thinking… or watching… _oh hell_ , the rune mage had no idea. His stiff posture hadn't moved a centimeter, and they just kind of stood there completely unsure of what to say or do. Freed was very slowly starting to feel feverish with wanting something, _ANYTHING_ really to happen. He had begun to sweat despite the mild evening, cheeks pink as if from exertion.

Then, finally, when the dragon took two steps toward the doorway when a long, drawn out stomach rumble made him pause with arm raised for the door handle.

Freed clutched at his midsection, utterly mortified. _'Oh my GODS WHY.'_ He thought, shrinking in on himself.

 _Fucking PERFECT._

Gajeel turned, his face finally visible in the light. Cheeks puffed out, lips tight in a frown trying to stifle a laugh that would incriminate his amusement. "Are you fuckin' **KIDDIN' ME?"** he scoffed, his lips quivering.

Freed went crimson, eyes darting everywhere but his face. Don't look at him. Don't look at him!! _"I-I forgot to eat today! It's not a big deal!!"_

 **"GIHEEHEEHEE!"** Gajeel laughed so hard he plopped down on his own stoop and put his head in his hands. It wasn't THAT funny, but it sure as hell felt better than the iron tension his shoulders had been in the last several hours. "Sure it hasn't been a _week_!?"

Stamping his boot, Freed made an indelicate squawking _'how dare you laugh at me you oaf!'_ noise. It was a silly thing to be upset over, but after everything that happened today, the rune mage broke. "I don't have to take this, _Gajeel Redfox!!!_ I'll be on my way!!"

"Oh hell… don't be that way. Get in here, nerd. I'll feed ya." The dragon, still chuckling to himself about _'surviving a damn earthquake worthy'_ hunger pang, righted himself and pushed through his doorway.

Hesitating, Freed turned the disk over in his hand. Where was this going? What did it mean to be invited into a dragon's house? What did he want?

What did FREED want?

Committing to his curiosity (if nothing else), the rune mage made to follow into the cottage but got stuck just inside. "Ah… can you turn on a light?"

There was a dim glow further in he supposed was from the stove light he'd seen earlier, but most everything was shrouded in velvet black.

"What? Can'tcha see? Thought that glow to yer eye meant ya could. Like a cat'er somethin'." The dragon called from amidst the darkness. "My bad."

A snapping noise qued the ambient lamp light in a far corner. To the rune mage's surprise, the living area was sparse, clean and functional. The colors were natural: wood and stone mostly. A simple black chair and couch surrounded a dark coffee table, devoid of any decoration really.

However, he could see nails in the walls at intervals, and the door didn't quite open all the way with the shelving, linens, throw pillows and a couple end tables stacked beside it without any sense of order. All the furniture currently in function in the room was pulled away to one side, seemingly avoiding a wall with buckets and tools beside it on the hardwood floor.

Then, Freed discovered why the room was in chaos: _A fist-sized hole in the wall opposite him._

"Comin'? Piss'er get off the pot." The dragon called from an offshoot where, judging by the acoustics was the kitchen.

He hadn't realized he was still in the doorway. Quickly he ventured inside and gently shut them in. Gajeel's home smelled herbaceous but fresh, like a greenhouse. It was an invigorating scent, soothing a bit of his nerves in a gentle caress.

"Your home is so clean…" Freed remarked lamely, fidgeting with the metal disk in his hand. "Oh! Oops… didn't mean to being this in…"

"Keep it! I'll make another one!" The dragon drawled over running water from the other room. He must have heard the sound of his fingers padding against the iron. "And get in here. My throat hurts from roarin' at that blond douchebag!"

Tossing his bangs to the side, the rune mage stepped deeper into the dragon's den. He eyed the pit in the wall, touching the crumbling sheetrock thoughtfully. "Remodeling?" he quipped, a perhaps unfair test of the dragon's honesty when he entered the immaculate mostly sage-colored kitchen.

"Hmm?" Gajeel looked up from where he was scrubbing his arms in the sink. He was caked in mud and grime from who knows how deep into the forest. His boots squeeked against the tile when his body angled in the rune mage's direction, a puddle forming under him.

"Gajeel! _You're soaked!"_ Freed took a step forward, his arms outstretched to do… well, he didn't know what…! It was his fault the dragon had run off in the first place, he felt compelled to do something!! However this wasn't his home, and he knew not where the towels or cleaning things or even the kettle to warm some tea were kept.

The dragon's sharp garnets followed the other man's movements closely. "Yer gunna waste away if I don't put food in front of ya, and I'm damn near positive ya don't like pond scum in yer cooking…"

Freed stuttered a bit, his eyes hitting the puddle on the floor again and then inching nervously back to meet his gaze. "W-well _I can wait for you to clean up at least!! After all, if it weren't for me you wouldn't have soiled clothing!"_ Something about being alone and under the careful scrutiny of his crush and guildmate and perfect stranger made him shiver.

Did he feel the same way now that they had fully locked eyes without any mystery or sort of veil between them?

Turning away, Gajeel spun the faucet knob and leaned against the counter, his scarred knuckles turning white where they gripped the edge of the metal sink. Freed couldn't read his expression, even more so when he looked down into the swirling watery vortex as it disappeared down the drain.

"Ain't yer fault." He said, sounding guarded.

The rune mage heard the metal flex under his fingers, saw the tense muscles seize up mountainous and unforgiving beneath the dark cotton fabric of his t-shirt.

Freed took another step, in a curious agony over seeing such a proud creature hang its head so. Then he took another, and another still, until he was able to plant a firm hand in the damp valley of his muscles. If possible, the man tensed even further.

"I wish you would have _told_ me…" Freed whispered. He slid his thumb soothingly across the bulging muscle under it. "...I… Gajeel… _it should have been different."_

The dragon turned, his expression stoney, impassive and tight. "Ya mean it shouldn'ta been _me_ is what yer sayin."

"What? _No_!" Freed withdrew his hand as if he'd been burned by the aggression in the other's voice. Facing an angry dragon at such close proximity was terrifying. "All I am _trying_ to say is-"

 **"Can it."** The dragon growled, his body stalking forward, the bulk of his chest and muscles forcing Freed to retreat, fumbling over his own boots to put distance between them. "We both know there's _no way_ this could work. _No way in hell_. We're too different, you'n me."

"Sh-Shut up…" Freed gasped weakly, his back meeting the wall just outside of the kitchen, his head inches from the weakened plaster behind the wall's curve where he was now convinced the dragon had thrown his fist.

"No, _you shut up_ , ya fuckin' nerd. Ain't _nothin_ ' I got gunna make you feel anythin' but _pain_." The dragon hissed, his body caging Freed in, enveloping but not touching him in hard bone and taut sinew. "An' you gotta be the _dumbest sonofabitch_ in Fairy Tail ta come after me."

Freed's eyes narrowed and it was Gajeel's turn to back away when his eye activated, shining a noxious fuschia against its sclera's deepening darkness. _"Let me make myself perfectly plain,"_ the rune mage seethed, jabbing the dragon's sternum with his index finger to punctuate his point. " _You will **never**_ , _and I do mean not **EVER** imply I am ignorant. Do you hear me? **Not EVER** , have I made myself **clear**?"_

Gajeel's cheeks burned, his body tingling from head to toe. "I-uhh…"

 _"You don't know what you're talking about."_ Freed supplied, his chin raised in defiance of his disadvantaged height. _"As I was **SAYING** before you **interrupted** me: it should have been **different**. Us meeting; it should have been planned… **meaningful**. I wanted to apologize for putting you in this situation in the first place, because I **COULD** like you, Gajeel,"_ He spat, his lips pulled tightly over his teeth as he snarled, giving him one last painful prod of his finger before he continued. "... I just need to see the real _you_. Whoever that is, that's who I want to know. If you think you can show him to me without jumping to conclusions or making decisions for me… then I think it could work."

Freed seemed to find himself out of temper to shed and simply crossed his arms, shutting his eyes. "I think _WE_ could work."

"Yeah?" Gajeel stole back some of his ground after schooling the sheepish expression he had been wearing and stepped into the rune mage again. "You wanna see the real Gajeel Redfox? _You sure ya can handle it??"_ The dragon backed him once again into the wall with a hollow bump and pressed their abdomens together. His face hovered inches from Freed's, the intensity of his leer drawing the rune mage's eyebrows together.

"...I'm confused…" Freed admitted, putting a restraining palm on the dragon's chest and shoving enough to be able to see him without crossing his gradually normalizing eyes. "Are you attempting to push me away? Do you not want to try-"

 ** _"Course I want to!"_** Gajeel cut him off, temper flaring and cooling in seconds and eyes sinking between them to where their waistlines met. "But.."

Freed observed a light pink dusting on his guild mate's high, tanned cheekbones. He swallowed thickly, remembering Levy's words:

 _'...so whatever you decide… just be kind. He's not made of iron, as much as he may act like it sometimes.'_

"But…?" He parroted, his lips smoothing into the calm he forced into his voice.

Gajeel said nothing, a deep growl rumbling reluctantly from his chest. The sound wasn't malicious, a gurgling trill of frustration and unease.

When the silence persisted, Freed smiled gently, fingers curling into the still moist, black cotton. "You know… it's okay to not have all the answers right now."

Gajeel' arm twitched, his crimson gaze drifting beside Freedom head as if he could see the hole in the wall through the first one. His expression almost appeared…

Frightened??? Wary?? _Apprehensive_?

"For what it's worth," Freed continued, his other hand reaching to caress the trembling elbow beside him. The sensation had the dragon's gaze pulling to meet his own. "I believe you are more than you show us in Fairy Tail. Your actions have more than proved that much."

Gajeel blinked, his swiftly exhaled breath rolling with his hammering heart and creating a steady thumping beat against his nostrils. His mouth twitched and then pulled into a frown. _"Believe what ya want."_ He grouched.

"I will." Freed shot back, cerulean eyes unwavering. "You cannot stop me." A peevish, satisfied smirk was curling one side of his mouth. He was getting the sense that they were playing a game of chicken and, despite his obvious physical disadvantage in general and in their current position, the rune mage pushed his mind into strategy using his upper hand. "In fact, I don't think there's a bad bone in that beautifully sculpted frame of yours."

Gajeel's eyes narrowed, his nostrils flaring, drawing in their scents. Freed heard crumbling coming from where the dragon's claws had started to dig themselves into the wall around his head. He may yet cause another mess of he couldn't contain the dragon's emotions. Still, he continued to stare,trying his hardest not to flinch when the man in front of him bared his fangs.

 _"Have a death wish, Freed?"_ He asked, his body pressing more solidly against the other. " _Keep talking like that."_

"Or _what_?" The rune mage condescended, looking down his nose but still up at the other man. "What will you do?? _Will you hurt me, Gajeel?"_ Freed chanced a small smirk when he noted his guild mates flinch. "I doubt that _very_ much."

Every last inch of ebony hair stood on end, a deep draconic growl tumbling in his throat. _"Shut the fuck up, Freed."_

"I won't." He assured, his now fisted, cotton filled hand tightening and his other tracing the hot metal studs splitting Gajeel's chin. "Not until you see how ridiculous you are being, holding onto that guilt. You are not in Phantom Lord. _You are not the man you were then."_

Gajeel whole body had gone so stiff, the rune mage wondered if perhaps he had gone too far, attempting to hide the waver in his voice. He knew exactly what cloud hung over the dragon's head, but maybe he didn't enjoy that it was so _obvious_.

Then, something unexpected happened.

Freed's face softened when the dragon's anger morphed into shame so plainly he thought he was experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime event. Pain radiated his whole self and it was agonizing to witness. Of course he bad depth, of course he showed how he felt even when it wasn't apathy or anger… only hardly anyone had ever made it through the defenses in place to witness them.

This felt like progress, and it pushed a gentle lilt into his tenor.

"You _ARE_ kind." He soothed, his spindly knuckles brushing an olive cheek. Gajeel still refused to look up, his hands falling to his sides and clenching and unclenching restlessly. "You are _thoughtful_. You _take care_ of others. A-and _you're nice to look at, which doesn't hurt either."_ Freed struggled, his own cheeks going rosy.

Gajeel's eyes widened, still gaping at the fist in his shirt. There was a slight lean against said fist, the pale man noticed. It was as if he were slowly drawing him in, and he hastily moistened his lips, trying to collect his thoughts enough to continue. To keep this headway going.

"Hey…" Freed crooned, his reedy viola quieting in an intimate and trusting way. "Gajeel, _look at me."_

The dragon peeked up from under his studded brow, nervously accepting a nudge to his chin from a dainty pointer finger and facing his guildmate properly without resistance.

"...May I hold you?" The rune mage asked, his fingers loosening in the damp shirt and sliding full palm over the deep, strong hammering of a dragon's heart and back down his arm.

Freed thought the question to be straight forward, but the knit in the Gajeel's brow was more akin to what you'd expect from an advanced calculation. He was questioning the rune mage's motive; the tell-tale narrowing of the eyes and gentle yet cautious head cock betraying Gajeel's thoughts.

"I will not bite, I assure you." He prompted,easing the dragon forward by the elbow.

Gajeel flinched, heart still throbbing in his breath and now painfully knocking against his ribcage. After a second more of insistent tugging, Freed soothed his hardened biceps with his palms and slowly engulfed him in a gentle hug, arms swung around his neck.

"Th-there." He stumbled, his voice rumbling against the solid chest he rested his cheek against. "It's not so bad. I-Is it??"

Gajeel was warm, and distracting. There was a feral heat rolling from him, particularly where the sturdy length if his throat met his trunk. As an afterthought, Freed cringed at the sight of dirt caking his guildmate's chin; at this rate, he would need to wash up himself.

By some insight he felt he had no right to have, however, the rune mage knew he needed to do this. If there was any hope for something to blossom between them, he would need to grow accustomed to this sort of compulsive discomfort. After all, not everyone's magic was so hands off like his own. People got dirty.

Despite how collected he tried to appear, Gajeel trembled in the embrace, standing stock still.

"I apologize," Freed patiently sulked after a moment of unreciprocal hugging, reading the signs that he had misstepped. "...I suppose not everyone takes comfort in a hug, do they?" He pulled back to retreat and make an excuse to leave but nothing seemed believable.

His hand had just slid from Gajeel's neck when the dragon caught it between his claws. He slowly bent forward and rested his forehead against Freed's shoulder. After a heavy sigh, the slayer held the pale palm on his chest again, just where it had been before. Over his mad heart.

 _"I dunno what I'm doin'."_

It was a quiet confession, but it was genuine and spoke loudly of the reason the dragon hesitated, why he was quick to anger and kept Freed at an arm's length.

"I am as ill-equipped as you are, I assure you." The rune mage murmured, gently closing his hand around Gajeel's fingertips. He gave them a meaningful squeeze that the dragon returned, he suspected, only due to his hidden face. "We do not have to do anything you're uncomfortable with. That's the beauty of being a pair, but…"

Freed ran a soothing hand over the other's raven locks and rested the side of his face against the earth and moss entangled in them. "...I will need you to speak up and tell me what you're feeling. Do you think you can do that?"

A heavy sigh shook both of them, and the rune mage stifled his laughter. "Don't talk to me like imma kid..." Gajeel grumbled, his body stabilizing from anxious shivers enough to speak. "...but yeah. I think I can. It's just…" he seemed to struggle here, his body twisting uncomfortably until his steady hands reached out and pulled Freed into a strong, tender embrace.

Freed's arms automatically wound around him, his heart in his throat when he felt Gajeel draw a quivering breath against him. The rune mage reveled in the feeling of the soft dragon's paws moulding with the curve of his lower back and shoulder. Something about it was so desperate, as if the iron mage feared he would turn to go at any moment.

What had driven his guildmate to such an insecure place? Regardless, Freed tightened his grip and drew himself flush against the solid wall of muscles. A soft shuttering growl shook them both and Gajeel's hands flexed so warm against his skin, clutching his frame as if to level himself emotionally. The dragon's head raised, and the rune mage felt a small prod to his neck that slid up just below his ear.

Then there was the unmistakable sound of a deeply drawn breath cooling his flesh, and a following hot exhale that traveled the curves of his throat.

Freed's breast was positively knocking, and he was unable to stifle his surprised gasp while tightening his hold.

 _'Yes,'_ he thought, his eyes shutting with a nuzzle to Gajeel's hair. _'I could grow used to this.'_


	6. Healing Hands

_Hey friends, I apologize for the wait. Things have gotten heavy at work and the 3 stories I'm working on here were all on CRAZY complicated chapters. I appreciate your patience with me as I do what I can._

 _That being said... I hope you all don't want to throttle me for being such a fucking tease through this whole. chapter. Gajeel has some things he struggles to work out. He's not a light switch._

 _And then... well... you'll see. Don't hurt me._

 _content warning: citrus ahead. 18 only please._

 _I do not own Fairy Tail._

*

 **Chapter 6: Healing Hands**

Shifting to regain some of his common sense, Gajeel felt his boot nudge something solid. Looking down from Freed's shoulder, he saw the metal disk the nerd had brought in from the stoop catch the light and wink at him. It was a powerful image to him, a valiant dragon poised to strike any down who would be so bold as to challenge him. It had to have fallen to the floor when he had been too busy antagonizing his house guest.

The iron was of his own making, but he had shaped it by hand, just like the others. It was a piece of himself he had put time and effort into perfecting. It was troubling that he had said Freed could keep it without so much as a fuss. He'd offered it to him.

It was too early, he thought to himself again. Much too early for such feelings.

Yet, here in the arms of a man like Freed, it didn't SEEM too early. In fact, he wanted to give him more. So much more.

Said man pulled away but kept his waifish arms around the dragon's neck. The rune mage was so close, Gajeel nearly swallowed his tongue when their eyes finally met. His sapphire eyes gleamed with flexibility, and hope… and something a little darker that could almost appear hungry.

"How are ya doin' this?" he murmured, their noses were inches from each others.

A small, soft smile curved on the rune mage's face. "Doing what exactly?" He whispered intimately, sure that the dragon would hear him regardless. His voice was honey, saturating the senses.

A thrill lit up Gajeel's spine and he nearly shivered if not for his grip tightening around the stupid nerd. "S-stop it…"

There was a piano string rigidity to the tension mounting between them, and Freed wound it a half twist tighter by brushing his nose against the other's. "I do not believe I am doing a thing." The rune mage taunted him, eyes never leaving his.

"Freed," Gajeel whispered. The twitch in his guild mate's lips distracted him momentarily and he felt his cheeks burn. "Can I…?"

"Please." Freed answered in the silence with a plea so small, they could have heard a pin drop.

 ** _ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK………_**

Freed's eyes shut.

 _"REALLY!??"_ he screeched, tossing his head back against the wall. He groaned and made a face. How embarrassing.

C'est la vi.

Gajeel was looking down at the rune mage's stomach with wide eyes. "...I… felt that…" he was beginning to lose his composure, laughter choking his serious face. " GI-...Are y-ya HIHI-...Alright??!"

Freed glowered at him without moving an inch. His nostrils flared and wrinkles creased his brow. The dragon hadn't realized how tired he looked until now, and it sobered him quickly.

"...I kept ya up too late." He said, cradling the side of his face and running a calloused thumb over the sensitive skin under Freed's weary eye. "...Sorry."

Before a reply or a contrary thought could be formed, Gajeel moved in and captured his lips in a chaste yet warm way. The connection was electric but soft and made his head swim lazily. He inhaled Freed's parchment and darkness scent and pulled away, only now noticing his eyes had fallen shut. When they reopened, his guild mate's own fluttered ajar.

"Wow." Freed breathed, his expression dazed and lazy.

"Yeah…" he conceded, enjoying the small puffs of breath the rune mage expelled against his face. "...Can't believe I just did that…"

Freed relaxed some, turning his head down and away, suddenly shy and staring from under the fringe of his lashes. "I cannot either, though I can't say I minded much." He was nearly breathless at the fluid change to the iron dragon's movements and animal-like interest in his face.

"No?" Gajeel asked, his body feverish and fingers clawing, sort of raking the flesh of the other's hips.

"N-no." The rune mage gasped, his flesh crawling with heady excitement. "It was," he licked his thin lips, tasting the notes of Gajeel's gloriously salty flesh that had been left behind. "...lovely."

A pointed scent tickled the dragon's senses and he dared to sink close again, forehead grazing Freed's. "...Ya said I should get cleaned up." he mumbled, eyes still dead focused on the trembling man pushed against the wall. He pressed himself flush with his guild mate and growled in his ear, " 'Ts yer fault I'm dirty."

"Ah… well…" the rune mage glanced up, his mouth near enough to Gajeel's, he could practically kiss him by simply speaking. His mouth was so parched with anticipation. "Y-yes…?"

"Yer all dirty now too." He murmured, opening his mouth as if he made to lay his lips against Freed, but backed away last minute, exhaling sharply. "...I better show ya where my bath is…"

Freed was practically panting now, mouth ajar, agonized by the dark man's teasing. "That… that would be… good."

Gajeel backed away, making the puddle of a man in front of him whimper just loud enough for him to hear. The dragon reached out and plucked Freed's wrist from where it had rested at his side, dragging him further down the hall and into an unkept side room filled with plants. The rune mage had just gotten a glimpse of an unmade bed in the opposite corner of the room when he was led into yet another room; A bathroom painted a deep green and furnished with contrasting light woods.

Now that they were here Gajeel tried not to lose his nerve, tried desperately not to show the equally anxious and excited tremble in his itching hands. "Do ya think ya can manage on yer own?" He asked, deciding to err on the side of caution but bursting with instinct. Nature, however, had its own idea; he drew a finger from the wrist across the waist line of Freed's pants.

"Or… do ya need help?"

Freed's eyes had bugged out long before they entered the room, but something was stabbing and knocking around in his throat and gut. Something only cured by the suggestive slide of his palm down the front of Gajeel"s shirt, his nails trailing after. "I am afraid," he started, leaning forward to whisper in the slayer's ear. "...I'll be quite hopeless without you."

Whatever response Freed had expected, it hadn't been his guild mate stepping backward. He watched Gajeel's adam's apple bob, his fists clench, and Freed's heart began to sink. "What is it??" The rune mage held himself self-consciously and dug his fingers into his own arms.

The feeling was like swallowing shards of iron whole; Gajeel's insides moulded uncomfortably around his complicated feelings. "Ya don't mean that." He growled, taking another step back and feeling his calf touch the cold edge of his tub. "Ya can't. It's too soon. It's too soon for ya ta feel like that."

Freed took a step forward, his eyes narrowing. "I'll feel however I wish." The conviction in his mouth rolled out and soon he was gaining steam, his voice rising. "Who are you to tell me how I should be feeling?" Despite the reprimand in his tone, the rune mage had a soft, knowing glint in his eye.

Saying nothing, Gajeel crossed his arms. He couldn't feel tempted to touch Freed if he kept his hands fisted and pinned to his chest. "Freed," he warned, wary of his nakama's approach, "...we should take this slow… take it easy…."

The dragon's backpedaling didn't make any sense. Freed furrowed his brow, and thought for a moment, thought about why Gajeel would seem so ready to jump in one minute and obstinate the next. "Gajeel," Freed said, resting a friendly hand on the dragon's shoulder. "I want to be near you, however I can. If that means we pursue a physical relationship and see where things go, I think I'm okay with that. However," the rune mage allowed his hand to fall to his side. "...I'll need to leave if that is all you are looking for. I am a patient man, but I am not ignorant of my feelings. I'd rather not engage you at all if this is the case."

Gajeel watched Freed's own wall slide into place between them, watched his concerned expression slack into indifference and visible cerulean eye grow cold. It made him want to claw out his own throat, anxiety burning his chest.

Say something.

 _Anything._

Anything to keep him here.

When the dragon only tightened his muscles, his brain blank for trying to collect himself, Freed made a small noise of acknowledgement and turned, walking from the room. The slayer's breathing quickened, his heart racing from the moment that gorgeous forest of hair was out of sight.

 ** _GODDAMN IT, GAJEEL! SAY SOMETHING! HE'S LEAVING, YOU MORON!!_**

Gajeel ran, tripping over himself and banging into the ajar bathroom door to get to Freed. He had to tell him, even if it wasn't enough he had to say something. "Freed!" he bellowed, catching the rune mage by the arm before he could make it out of the bedroom. _"Please,"_ he whimpered, something foreign crossing his face that his guild mate had never seen before. "I'm an idiot. Don't go."

Freed was growing tired of getting whiplash and it showed; a severe, forced indifference hardening his jawline but cheek muscles working with annoyance. "Give me a reason to stay." He sniffed, nearly giving under the desperate pleading in Gajeel's eyes. "I need one. I can't do this back and forth business, no matter how much I may like you."

When he tried to speak, Gajeel's words were bottle-necking again, trying to force themselves out of his face. The feeling was so frustrating, being unable to say what he needed to and feeling as if he had already lost it all by looking at Freed's expression. He growled and fisted his fingers in his own ebony locks.

 ** _"DAMNIT!!"_** He roared, his chest heaving. His eyes clenched shut while he drug his hands down the sides of his grime-caked temples, cheeks and jaw. _"WHY THE **FUCK** CAN'T I THINK WHEN YER AROUND!??"_ He stormed through a path among the potted plants hanging from the ceiling and sitting on the floors until he reached his punching bag, giving it a hard uppercut and jabbing at it again with his other fist.

"YER SO…"

 _SMACK._

"FUCKIN...'"

 _SMACK SMACK_.

 **"BEAUTIFUL!"**

 _SMACK SMACK SMACK._ Gajeel twisted his whole body around and kicked a mighty shin into the bag, jostling it off rhythm. It didn't stop his pursuit, his body slamming the equipment into the wall where he continued to beat the shit out of it.

"AN' HERE I AM…"

 _SMACK._

"CAN'T SAY A DAMN WORD…"

 _SMACK._

"WITHOUT PUTTIN' MY FUCKIN' FOOT IN MY DAMN MOUTH!!"

smack…

"An' I like ya so much…" he breathed heavily against the vinyl.

smack…

"Yer so smart…an' thoughtful…"

……..smack….

"An' I'm just…"

His forehead thudded against the bag, making the chain rattle against itself.

He shakily exhaled and blinked the wetness threatening to spill over his lids away. He felt vulnerable enough without Freed seeing how much it upset him he couldn't say what he wanted to. Gajeel knew he was near, he could smell him; but he couldn't look at him. He would lose it if he saw the pity undoubtedly there in the deep blue.

A shifting on both of his sides made him tense up, feeling Freed wind his delicate arms around his waist and fingers knead at his chest. "'You're just…' _what?"_ The rune mage whispered in the quiet, his forehead resting on Gajeel's nape.

Shuttering, Gajeel tried to fight the pain crawling up his throat. "...You know." he croaked, that wet feeling returning in the corners of his vision. He sniffed, internal sobs shaking his breath and it nearly drove him insane to feel so powerless against his own self-degradation.

"I don't." Freed murmured, his voice humming against the back of Gajeel's ear lobe.

"Don't make me say it." The dragon growled, his teeth grit and lips stretched flat against his gums.

"Gajeel, I really have no i-"

 ** _"I'M NO FUCKIN' GOOD AT ALL! IS THAT WHAT YA WANNA HEAR??"_** The dragon roared, scales crawling up his neck and shoulders. **_"YA WANNA HEAR THAT I'M TOO STUPID, OR I DONE THINGS THAT AIN'T FORGIVABLE? OR IS IT THAT I'LL ALWAYS PLAY SECOND FIDDLE TO A MORON WHO TRIES HALF AS HARD AS I DO? I DON'T DESERVE TA BE WITH SOMEBODY LIKE YOU!!!"_**

Freed's grip tightened, his chest flush with Gajeel's back. "None of that is true. Not from where I stand."

 _"Fuck you,_ Freed!" the dragon wailed, trying half heartedly to push the man off of his back, tears streaming down his glistening black metal scales.

Ignoring his slight, the rune mage whispered against his shoulder, "May I show you something?"

"No. Get out." Gajeel sputtered, his angry claws ripping through the punching bag in his arms.

"No." Freed dismissed the idea entirely, his fingertips emanating an ambient gold over Gajeel's sternum. "Please just let me…"

 _ **"I SAID GET OU-...** w-what??"_

A warmth reminiscent of a summer morning blossomed from within the iron dragon's chest. The confusion and instant relief from tension forced his scales back under his skin, and he looked down at the hands embracing him in that sunny light.

"Something many neglect when they commit to the practice of rune magic, is the _source."_ Freed mouthed, his fingers tracing a series of runes shining on the muddy fabric of Gajeel's shirt. "Because I am the one producing the current for this spell to manifest, I am its source. Thus, the nature of the spell depends on my experiences in order to activate."

The dragon blinked; Freed was speaking quickly, and he wasn't making much sense… but Gajeel felt great. It was like he could feel his guild mate's arms wrapping themselves around his heart, keeping him safe and happy.

"I've never had a reason to use this spell before… but I'm glad to show it to you." Freed turned Gajeel so he could face him, yet kept his eyes lowered to the floor with his face stained red. "There can be consequences should it be used incorrectly, but I'm confident this will make my point with the most expedience. Believe me when I say I would _never_ put you in danger."

The glow faded with the removal of his remaining hand, and Gajeel slowly sank back into himself. A ghost of that feeling still remained, so familiar somehow, as if it had always been a part of him. He absently clutched at his chest without looking away from the dark fringe of Freed's lashes. "I… don't understand…" he admitted, watching the rune mage blush more deeply.

Freed paused to lick his lips, a sad furrow to his brow accompanied his gentle smile. "Every terrible spell I've used in combat… 'Pain', 'Terror'... 'Suffering'... come from my personal experience of those feelings." He finally met Gajeel's gaze, his eyes wet and full of shame. "My emotional experiences are quite literally weaponized… though I have yet to use the one that may yet end someone's life."

A prickling of fear nagged at Gajeel, yet he couldn't look away from the depths of that stormy blue ocean. _"...Death?"_ he queried, fighting the urge to step away but only just.

Tears spilled down Freed's cheeks and he inhaled sharply. "That's what I would call it… but… I've hardly _died_ as you can see. No… no if I could simply cast a death incantation… it would be far more _kind."_

Gajeel reached for Freed and hesitated to touch him, the way one gently reaches to cover a poisonous insect with a cup for transportation.

 _"Solitude."_ Freed whimpered, blinking more tears unchecked down his bare cheeks. "Every moment I spend alone, envious of those with someone… feeling no one could ever love this… monstrous BEAST I keep inside and use in my magic against others… they would feel it… all at once. Every quiet night alone and every awkward function I endured singularly in my entire existence." The rune mage sniffed and held himself, trying to ease the ache in his heart. "If the initial shock of my lifetimes worth of loneliness didn't kill them outright, I'm not sure what would."

Gajeel was shocked, his tears easing with his growing concern. He couldn't imagine how Freed could ever feel lonelier than the dragon had, being abandoned as a child not once but twice. However, it was clear to see that this beautiful man was in agony over the power of his emotions and that was something he could definitely relate to.

"I'm the only beast here, Freed." The dragon said, finally allowing his rough palm to cup the man's cheek. "We all done things we ain't proud of."

Freed's face didn't change, he merely stared into Gajeel's soul and quipped, "I suspected you would be as terrible at taking your own advice as I am."

A smirk crawled across Gajeel's face. That same warmth he'd felt with Freed's spell spreading through his chest. "Well played, nerd."

The weakness of the returned smile tugged at his heart strings. "Never underestimate my intellect, dearest dragon, nor my power. They are my most valuable and destructive weapons. Though I dare say one is made more obvious than the other."

A deep grinding purr vibrated in Gajeel's chest and he ran his fingers back through Freed's hair on his temple. "No need to fight here." he murmured, his hand sliding until it palmed the back of the rune mage's head, his other tenderly pulling him closer and sliding up his shoulder blade until Freed wound his arms around the dragon's neck.

"...I'd fight for you _any_ day." Freed cooed.

Instead of fear breathing down his neck, Gajeel's heart pounded and he found it impossible not to steal Freed's perfect lips. He pressed himself against the rune mage, and kneaded his mouth with his own, tilting his head to deepen and change their connection.

Freed sighed a moan against the dragon, his eyes shutting and his hands tugging at the scorching mocha skin. They contrasted so much both physically and emotionally, he felt his heart flourish with how desperately he needed Gajeel Redfox.

Pulling back enough to see Freed properly, the dragon whispered into the space between them. "It was yer love."

Breathless and just a bit dizzy, Freed raised an eyebrow, bewildered. "Sorry?"

"The runes." His guildmate clarified, still maintaining that intimate molasses in his voice. "They let me feel yer love. Right?"

Freed smiled, the action finally reaching his eyes while he beamed. "That spell encompasses more than just love," he confessed, warmly kissing Gajeel's cheek and chin. "It embodies the qualities that _create_ my love… like security..." the dragon's jaw was next, followed by the the skin before his sensitive ear. "...my joy…"

Exhaling sharply, Gajeel tightened his grip on the man now whispering in his ear and nuzzling his temple. "...definitely attraction."

"Freed..." Gajeel groaned, feeling the rune mage inhale his scent and nudge at his lobe with his lips. "...Can I feel it again?"

The delighted chuckle traveled down his neck with a light string of playful kisses. "Sorry," Freed murmured, making Gajeel shiver at the feeling of that warm breath caressing his nape. "This spell can become addicting over time, especially since my feelings for you have grown so suddenly. Mages have used it as an infatuation spell in the past… and all I want from you is your own honest love."

"F-fuck...Freed…" Gajeel panted, his pride falling away from him when his guildmate brushed the strap of his tank top aside and drug his mouth against the dip in the dragon's collar bone.

"You shouldn't worry though," Freed ignored him and simply held him close, cheek to cheek. "My hands are quite capable of making you feel the depths of my adoration sans magic."

Gajeel squeezed the beautiful man in his arms, his heart in his throat. He'd never felt this way about anyone before, and it physically excited him to the point of pain. When Freed nuzzled beneath the dragon's jaw, Gajeel involuntarily thrusted into him. To his surprise, it was answered with a shy prod back.

Instinct was a hell of a thing.

Mind snapped in half, the slayer quickly picked his lover up by his backside and a surprised rune mage startled and laughed nervously, wrapping his legs around Gajeel. Their swollen sexs pressed intimately against each other and Freed barely suppressed his groan at how large the bulge digging into his own felt.

Gracelessly Gajeel carried him back to the bathroom whispering in Freed's ear as he did so.

"Let's get ya clean." He began, squeezing the perfect, fit ass in his hands. "Ya know… dragons have a thing fer groomin'." Gajeel nipped at Freed's ear prompting a gasp. "I'll bathe every last inch of ya… 'n then, I'm gunna taste that lovely flesh'a yers. All of it."

Freed was speechless, but he made a noise he had never made before in his life when the man holding him drug his hot tongue against the cartilage of his ear. Somewhere between a sharp inhale, a moan and a glottlestop. It made him blush even more violently, his blunt nails digging into Gajeel's muddy shoulders.

"Keep that up'n I won't make it to the shower." The dragon growled.

"Then do not exacerbate my mood!" Freed snapped half-heartedly, twitching in his pants and feeling an answering throb. They carefully entered the bathroom, the dragons knees weakening at the sight of Freed shrugging out of his lavish crimson coat.

"GIHI… I dunno what that means, but I think I'll keep doin' it if you're already this red." Gajeel snarked, setting Freed gently on the orange-tan wood counter and clawed at the buttons down the rune mage's abdomen. "Take this off. I'll get the water warm. After we get all this grime off…" He leaned in and put a suggestive hand on Freed's knee, slowly sliding his hand up his leg. "We can take'a bath. How's that sound?"

"D-do not leave me too long, my dragon." Freed reluctantly let go of that scorching muscular flesh around Gajeel's neck and watched him bend at the waist to run the faucet. While he was checking the temperature and adjusting the knobs, the Rune mage swallowed audibly, appreciating the powerful ass that curved a few feet from him, his task forgotten.

Freed had gently tilted his head to the side, openly staring and trying to relieve his nerves. They had something going here, and it wouldn't do if he backed out due to pure intimidation. The possibility was high, considering how fit and utterly powerful Gajeel looked even while doing something as mundane as adjusting the shower head.

"GIHI!! ...Maybe I _SHOULD_ have fed ya before this…" The dragon snickered, standing tall once again and sliding a few fingers up Freed's shin. "...ya look like ya wanna _eat_ me."

A rush of blood stained his face, though he couldn't imagine having any left to spare given the very stiff member bobbing between them. "...I'd like to try, if I could be frank."

Gajeel's sharp eyes bugged, his lip twitching anxiously on his face. "I'd let ya." he sighed with trembling anticipation. "...L-look… I'm ready fer anythin'... _everythin_ '... so… don't hold back."

"Are you feeling nervous?" his guild mate asked, reaching out for the dragon. Gajeel slid between his parted knees ,and Freed caressed his jaws gently with both hands in the space between them. Their foreheads touched, neither one able to look at the other for fear of bursting into flames. "... _I'm nervous_ …"

A warm, nasally chuckle washed over the Rune mage's temple when the slayer experimentally drew his open palms up Freed's ribs from beneath his shirt. "Definitely. But I want ya more than I'm scared."

Surrendering to that boneless state he found himself in at the feeling of those warm, strong hands holding him, Freed sighed and ran his fingers through the long locks in his face. "I...it's more than… I need- Ah!"

Gajeel ran his tongue over the sensitive bite mark he left on that delicious, pale juncture between neck and shoulder. His eyes were nearly black, his pupils blown wide at the scent and taste if Freed's blood. "Sorry…" he grunted, his breathing labored, "Yer… hard ta resist…"

"And you were afraid I'd be eating you…" Freed winced, his hand pulling back to feel the wound. "Will you be continuing to bite me then?"

Gajeel leaned back, and Freed swallowed hard. The dragon's stare was so hyper focussed, he appeared not even to blink. His face seemed hard as steel and much less friendly. "Freed… I need ta know… how ya feel… cuz everythin' in me… _is screamin'..."_

Freed held his shoulders and realized Gajeel was trembling, his drawn out breaths frightening the rune mage. The dragon felt hot; _too hot_ even in the warm summer air. "Are you alright? You are burning up..."

Try as he might, Gajeel couldn't let go of him, he couldn't seem to release the tension in his fingers keeping themselves firmly planted against Freed's hips. "My body… _I need ya to leave…"_

Fingers tightening into the fiery flesh under his fingers, Freed frowned, "I'm not going anywhere! What's happening??"

 _"Freed…"_ Gajeel whimpered, every bit of him desperate with need but fighting for clarity. _"...my body… it wants ta…"_

"I don't **care**!" Freed screamed at him. He was growing anxious at the deep longing being denied in his dragon's bloody red eyes. "I _need_ you! Stop trying to push me away! _I want to be with you!"_

 ** _"Ya can't… mean that!"_** Gajeel shook his heavy mane of onyx and tried to clear his lungs and scent glands of Freed's musk. He inhaled sharply in the direction of his body wash, but nothing helped. There was nothing but Freed crashing in his senses.

The rune mage dug his nails into his guildmate's skin and shouted, angry at being dismissed, _"Why not!?"_

 _"Cuz us… doin this… Freed, it's a… it's a **mistake**!"_ His ears were ringing, and as much as he wanted to pull away, he felt his body shift an half inch closer, his head bowed low and cocked, trying to hear through the interference. _"This ain't … just a quick fuck anymore… if we… it'll mean yer **mine**. **Ferever. And I'll be yers."**_

Freed brushed a strand of hair from Gajeel's eyes, and the dragon nuzzled into it, his wild eyes shutting despite the pain he must be feeling in his jaws from clenching. "What are you telling me…?"

It was so painful, resisting that deep seeded urge within him. He was feeling more and more insane, an itch so deep he couldn't possibly scratch without tearing into himself. Sweat poured from his brow, _"I didn't think... the signs were... I'm so sorry… I was so stupid… we can't-"_

" _Sshhh_ ," Freed rested his cheek against the dragon's, and gently kissed the sensitive skin beside his eye. He was TOO hot. "Tell me what's wrong, beautiful."

 _"I'm… too old… my magic… it's tryin' ta… ta **bond** with ya…"_ His hands slid to Freed's hips and clenched sensually, his breath quivering. Instinct was beginning to push him around a little bit more forcefully.

Brow wrinkling, he drew back slightly. "I-I have never _heard_ of such a thing… what-"

 _"I'm tryin… not ta… make ya… my mate."_ Gajeel breathed.

Freed gaped, mouth slightly ajar. _"...I thought that was a **myth**!"_

Narrow eyes pierced him, sweat rolling down the dragon's chin from effort. _"Does this… seem… **made up** … ta ya??"_ Gajeel's skin was slowly flushing from his neck to collar, and with how rigid his body was, Freed was surprised to find his hands seemed quite relaxed against him.

This changed everything… and yet…

"Do it."

Choking on his tongue, Gajeel blinked. No way he'd just heard that. _"What…?"_

The rune mage set his jaw and met the slayer's eyes with certainty. _"I said **do it!"**_

"Freed…" He couldn't be serious… Gajeel couldn't let this happen, no, he wouldn't let it happen.

"No! _Listen!!"_ Freed wrapped his arms around Gajeel's neck, much to his satisfaction and frustration. The embrace was causing his conviction to cave. "I have felt more alive over the past few weeks than I can ever remember! I have no one that is mine, Gajeel. I never knew my family, and I have always been a fringe member of the guild at best." Chest heaving, his lovely cerulean eyes shimmered with want. "I need family… I need… _I need you!"_ He whispered.

At a loss, Gajeel seemed to have forgotten his struggle, stopping himself an inch short from running his tongue against Freed's parted lips. **_"You're... insane!!"_**

Looking up at the ceiling Freed sighed heavily. "Maybe I am. Yet, I can't help but feel sick and tired of being alone, Gajeel. I think we could be _happy_ together…"

"How can… ya base this... **_LIFELONG_**... decision on... _our limited... interaction?!"_

"Because I know you to be a good man _and I trust you to take care of me!"_ Freed fired back.

Gajeel stared, his expression incredulous.

 _"...How can... ya just… throw all yer... future... away on… on a **stranger**!? On **me!??"**_

Freed leaned back and touched his own breast, his eyes softening with the beauty of his love. "I am not throwing _anything_ away. If you will have me, I swear to take care of you the way you took care of me until my very last breath."

 ** _"Yer crazy…"_** Gajeel whispered, his lips getting tripped up over the raw feeling of freedom within his reach. His eyes searched Freed's for some semblance of disingenuity… something to make him feel anything other than the thrill the rune mage was sending through him. " _If this is… what ya want… it's sorta like we're… gettin' married."_

Warmth stabbed Freed in the chest, overwhelmed at the thought. This was such a risk, and yet here in the arms of this trembling man it didn't seem so rash. His eyes welled, and he sniffed delicately with a small smile up at that beautiful sun-kissed man. _"I wonder if… I wonder if I'm **dreaming."**_ He whispered, overcome with the deafening silence between their bodies despite the trance-like rhythm of the shower, still running but now terribly, terribly cold. "What will we tell the others… _oh hell… who cares…"_

Gajeel's grin took his breath away, crooked and wide with thin, agile lips. The dragon leaned in, his hips flush with those propped on the counter. His blush was only just lighter than his excited, garnet eyes. As soon as he began to let go of himself, his breathing stabilized and he could communicate more fluidly. "We'll tell'em not ta be jealous of what I'm about ta do to ya…" He murmured squeezing Freed's ass.

 _"W-whats that?"_ He squeeked just before the dragon lapped and nipped at his lower lip.

"I'm gunna make ya a **man** tonight, beautiful."

Leaning into the gentle cradle of those strong, sinewy arms, Freed opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the firm brush of a thumb against his nipple. He cried out through his gasp a surprised, _"O-Oh!"_

"I'm gunna give ya _all of me_ , nerd." Gajeel ground his powerful hips into his lover, showering his neck, his chin, his ear with salacious, wet kisses.

"I-I am going to…" Freed was trying desperately to keep his wit, rolling his eyes back when his leg was lifted and thrown over the dragons forearm. He raked his nails against the underside of the malfunctioning rune mage's thigh, grabbing his as and forcing their hips tightly together again.

"Yeah? _Whatcha gonna do ta me??"_

Freed fought the writhing, burning feeling Gajeel was shooting through him from each point he touched. "I am… _going to make every last bit of **hurt** in you disappear."_

The dragon stopped, his eyes meeting Freed's and his head suddenly dizzy from having the wind knocked out of him. There was nothing but pure love in his eyes, and the fever coursing through his body peaked and sent a cold sweat rolling from his temples. He had to have him… _he had to give him everything._

Freed _was_ everything. He wasn't sure how it had happened but there it was, plain as written word in the warmth that finally reached Gajeel's heart.

"...Come here…"

The dragon picked him up easily, oblivious to how odd their interaction had been. At first, he had brought them to the bathroom to do terrible, sexy things to Freed that he knew would cause the nerd's toes to curl. Now, it didn't seem right. Now, his dragon senses were demanding something specific.

His guild mate was too enamoured to care much, though he did raise an eyebrow at the running water they'd left in the bathroom. Someone would have a hell of a bill this month, and he opened his mouth to say something to that effect when he realized that he too suddenly felt hot.

 _"Where… where are we going?"_ He smiled lazily into the fever and rested his head against Gajeel's shoulder. _"I… feel as if I have imbibed too much…"_

Without looking at him, Gajeel bypassed his bed in favor exiting the house via a patio entrance hidden by a rather large potted willow's branches. "Imbibe?"

"I feel _drunk_." Freed smiled and began to kiss the raw sienna in front of him. Gajeel shivered when he felt a tongue lave lazily against his collarbone and the moonlight swallow them.

"That's normal. I think. Yer wantin' to be a part of me…" he stopped at the edge if the forest and looked down at his precious cargo before proceeding through the trees. "... slayer energy is real old and has a mind of its own. If ya feel it too, yer ready to take this step with me an' my magic has already started to sorta fuse to yers."

"So you're saying…"

"Yeah." He stepped through the forest, carefully picking over rocks and logs. The forest was dense, but the dragon moved with ease, his head turning this way and that while he tested the air. "It's a solid connection; _a strong match_. We'll have a good life together I think."

"Gajeel," Freed whimpered, his fingers knotting in his hair. Gajeel's heart was pounding against his side at the way he said his name, and he could feel the same answer in his own breast. "I _swear_ I'll always take care of you."

The slayer smiled at that, his eye catching on a patch of light a few yards away, almost blinding in the darkness produced by the trees. _"Ain't that my job?"_ He took off like a shot, bounding through the undergrowth like a wild animal.

"H-hardly! I'll protect your heart with all I am… _I promise… I promise…"_ The quickened pace shot Freed's eyes wide open and his breath began to heave. The connection was obvious now, he could feel the dragon grow excited, and he knew he'd soon be taken. He thirsted for it, ached to be with this wild man intimately. It was all he would ever need in this life or the next.

"What's that?" Gajeel asked between gasps for crisp night air. The light came closer, and he knew in an instant this was where he would take his mate. It was almost as if the ground had raised itself to accommodate them, like they'd always been meant to join there. A sacred place, he found, when his pace slowed and he could take in the fine details touched by the moon.

Soft moss clung to the rich colored earth, sloping in a natural curve to accommodate their love making. A stream trickled past, tinkling and filling the air with the magic of life. Toward the edge of one of the creek's many fingers was a discarded antler, reminding him of the finality of this union. There would be no going back, and no severing their bond after tonight.

"I promise to _kick your ass_ when you need it." Freed laughed and grazed his serious jaw with his blunt teeth.

The levity brought him back to the beautiful man in his grasp, and he grinned. Somehow it would all be okay, he thought. Somehow they were destined to meet this way and to feel these feelings that could scarcely be ignored. "GIHIII!!! Back at'cha." He crowed fondly, laying Freed upon the gentle green. Gajeel's face remained pleasant, but softened meaningfully when he caressed the hair out of his fiance's eyes. "Now shut up."

"Alright." The rune mage whispered back, his eyes bright and watchful of all his future husband's movements, including the nervous quake in his hands ceremoniously undoing each button down Freed's chest.

"I will have ta bite ya once more," He admitted solemnly, exposing the pale torso to the blue light. He couldn't keep an agonized sob from choking his words at the sight of that creamy skin flushed with fever over fit abdominal shadows. "Fuck… how the hell do ya _exist_? Yer **_perfect_** …"

Feeling slightly unnerved by being the only one half naked, Freed looked around with his arms holding himself self-consciously. They appeared to be alone, but it was still nerve-racking all the same to be bare outdoors.

"...Ya can set up a barrier if ya want." Gajeel murmured, pulling his shirt up and over his head, revealing the jagged edges of his body. No fat survived on that chiseled physique, expanding and contracting with heady breaths before him. "I want ya ta feel comfortable… as fer me, _I could give a fuck…_ I just need ya."

Freed's lips parted, dizzy at the sight of that powerful man. "...Shit," he swore, tracing a daring finger down the delicious 'v' muscle until it disappeared beneath black denim. "...that I… am permitted to to touch you is… _unfathomable."_

Gajeel's blown pupils constricted slightly before darkening again. "Ya can do a helluva lot more than that. I know I will." He reached down and unzipped his own pants, groaning when it gave his bulge more room to breath. "I'll make sure ya never doubt fer a second how amazing ya are." The dragon adjusted himself, shifting the fabric over his twitching groin.

Freed wet his lips, unable to keep from staring, his own hands nervously undoing the button on his trousers. The stiffness in Gajeel's pants was intimidating, the moonlight outlining the shape beneath the last bit of cloth. "Lucky me." he swallowed, his throat a desert.

There was something so attractive, the dragon thought, so alluring about how shy Freed was. Gajeel stilled one of his lover's shaking hands, taking the wrist and guiding his palm to the dragon's rippling abdomen. "Touch me." He commanded, his voice turning upward at the end in a plea for some of the magma under his skin to be quenched.

Yet Freed's hand wasn't timid, no. The moment his full palm settled just above that flushed navel, his other hand shot out and joined it in a very intimate topography lesson. Every valley, every groove and flat plain enticed him and his eyes sank shut to fully appreciate the sweltering heat rolling off of his dragon.

 _His dragon._

"Gajeel…" he whimpered, his heart crashing against his chest.

Freed's fingers were much cooler in contrast to the slayer's body. They traced icy hot trails across him, burning his cheeks and building the throb in his briefs. Gajeel swooned when the frigid palm sloped down his lower half, making his body thrust involuntarily.

The rune mage's eyes shot open just in time to see Gajeel shrug from his remaining clothes. His heavy cock bobbed lazily under Freed's gaze, and before he knew what he was doing he was tugging the slayer over him and hungrily lapping at the trail of precum beading on that powerful, dark head. His scent, his taste, all of it was divine including the strain his own dick was feeling when the dragon gasped.

 _"Hnn… N-not too much… F-fuck yer so amazing… I...I need ta cum inside ya."_ he growled, desperately trying to keep from fucking Freed's mouth that had now taken him as deep as he could manage. Gajeel felt the hard slide of molars against the sides of him and couldn't help but flex excitedly, looking down at his mate with pride and love in his cocky grin.

Releasing him with a reluctant pop, Freed only had time to lick up a bit of saliva he had left at the dragon's base before Gajeel retreated before him and unceremoniously began to tug off the rest of the rune mage's clothing. When he was completely bare, he shrank in on himself, curling with embarrassment.

"No," Gajeel whispered, watching every muscle tense under that porcelain skin made even more fair by the moonlight above. "Don't shy away, nerd, ya got nothin' ta worry about." He bent over the balled mage, caging him in with sun-kissed limbs and caressing the hair from Freed's face. "After all, I'm here to take care of ya… an' I'll make ya feel… _SO good. I swear it."_

Freed looked up at him, his uncertain eyes taking in the determined lovely softness that was here in this man and only for him for the rest of his days. "Gajeel," he mouthed, so quietly he could barely be heard over the brook. _"...I… I think I love you…"_

The dragon paused, and for a moment Freed thought he had fucked everything up. Why did he have to let his feelings run so rampant? Why couldn't he just rein them in like a normal, functional adult??

Gajeel tenderly wrapped his naked form around Freed, holding him firmly in place. Clinging to him as if he may suddenly disappear. _"...I love ya."_ he murmured, his chest being pelted to death by his own overjoyed heart. _"Freed… I **love** ya."_

The rune mage unfolded himself and pulled his husband to be down further to kiss him. Their mouths explored one another gently until Freed scraped his nails down that powerful spine. Gajeel answered with a desperate sigh and a powerful thrust against Freed's bare ass cheek, his hand roaming down the pale stomach to the swollen cock pinned between the rune mage's slowly parting legs.

Gajeel refused to let go of Freed's lips and pressed his palm suggestively into the leaping member. He swallowed his guild mates pleasured outcries and invaded that gasping mouth with his tongue roughly stroking him. That scent that had all but accosted him earlier smashed him square in the face and he felt his entire body flush violently with dark fever. The smell was salty… and sweet… and it jackhammered his sensitive nose.

His hand folded gently down under Freed, nudging the sensitive scrotum aside in favor of caressing the delicate entrance to acquaint himself further. The rune mage stiffened automatically, but eventually relaxed into the gentle probing while he tenderly tugged at the hot column of flesh near his thigh. Gajeel jerked eagerly into the rune mage's hand, groaning when the grip tightened encouragingly.

Coming up for air, the dragon nuzzled his mate affectionately. He drew back and forced his bliss into a serious line on his face. "...Tell me if I'm bein' too rough. I don't wanna hurt ya, _but I'm about ready ta burst."_ His request rumbled deep, husky with desire, and it stirred desperate pants from Freed.

"I trust you." he whispered, pushing his lower half into the curious fingers toying with his entrance. _"I trust you."_ He repeated even more softly, absently savoring the flavor of Gajeel's lips and cock on his tongue. There was nothing like it, and he wanted more.

Humming a draconic purr into Freed's ear, the slayer ran the bridge of his nose down the snowy skin. Collar, sternum, navel, shaft…. All receiving slow, purposeful kisses that left dewy marks. The air chilled them pleasantly and the rune mage shivered freely with a shy, satisfied grin.

A grin that faltered ever so slightly when his dragon propped up his lower half with powerful forearms and exhaled a scorching breath against that sensitive pucker. Panic was nearly making its way out of Freed's mouth and into an embarrassed push to get Gajeel's head out from between his thighs now resting on those granite shoulders…

...but nothing had prepared him for the sensation of that groaning vibration against him, coupled with the searing heat of Gajeel's wet tongue.

Freed had never made THAT sound before. He choked on his anxiety and keened suddenly and aggressively into the night. The feeling was shocking, and he threw his head back with a violent toss against the mossy fronds, hair almost melting into the scenery. It was as if he were a part of this place.

Gajeel, on the other hand, was now so painfully hard he could have fucked granite and been none the worse for it. The sight and sound of his lover experiencing something new and apparently truly exciting made him gasp and push ahead with his whole face more thoroughly buried in Freed's beautiful ass. He'd give it all to him; he'd nip and suck and fuck until his mate came around him… only then would he be Freed's for eternity.

And eternity didn't seem long enough when the rune mage made these sounds, felt dangerously soft and tasted so goddamn perfect.

Freed quivered, tense and sweating and so very very desperate while he was eaten frantically. He could feel Gajeel's sharp teeth digging into him with the search to push and lap deeper inside of him. The fair, powder-white knuckles of his lost control and fisted tightly in the ebony locks between his knees.

"Ah!! Gaj- _Oh **FUCK!!**_ _I can't… I… GODS YES!!"_

If Gajeel hadn't been so enamoured with the… everything… about Freed, he would have laughed at how quickly he had seemed to abandon his dignified vocabulary. All he could do was hum more deeply into that delicious cleft and rut shakily against the grass.

 _"Pl-PLEASE!"_ Freed screamed, his breath harsh and muscles beginning to constrict. **_"I NEED YOU!"_**

Panting into Freed's flesh, Gajeel quickly untangled his mouth and shoulders from his lover and took position. The swollen head of his toffee colored cock slipped easily around the rune mage's ass and he prodded teasingly at the flexing pucker.

"Ya want it?" Gajeel growled, running his shaking hand down that alabaster waist. "Say ya want my cock inside ya…"

Freed squirmed, whimpering with a scarlet flush in his cheeks. "...no."

Gajeel sneered at the coy challenge in Freed's twinkling, sapphire eyes. A throb in the slayer's groin apparently thought this defiance was intriguing and he pressed a little more forcefully between the soft, wet cleft.

 _"Say it."_ He murmured, his head beginning to breach the surface. His eyes were lolling back in his skull when the heat and ridges began to swallow him.

Brow furrowing in effort and pain, Freed knew what he wanted to say, but feared he would push too far and end up with a doctor's visit.

Gajeel loomed over him, head nearly swallowed by his lover's body. _"Say it, Freed,"_ He rasped, kissing him deeply and caressing the outside of Freed's willowy thighs.

That last thread of obstinance finally could no longer be swallowed, and Freed opened his mouth and breathed a simple challenge that drove a metal stake into his husband's lower spine.

 _"... Fucking **make** me."_

Gajeel slammed his cock into Freed's depths to the hilt, so ensnared by that unexpected fucking mouth on his nerd he had forgotten himself. He roared and pounded his fist into the ground beside them, desperately fighting the urge to continue thrusting. Never before had he felt anything like this and all at once he understood exactly what he had been missing out on being an anti-social, self-loathing bastard.

Then again…

...he was _so glad_ he had waited.

 _"Oh…"_ Freed whimpered, his heart pounding in his ears. His teeth were clenched and tears stung his vision. He had no one to blame other than himself and the easily goaded, hyperventilating dragon above him. His muscles were adapting as best they could, spasming and uncomfortable with the rather large intrusion.

"I...I'm _so sorry!"_ Gajeel winced when he finally registered how rigid his lover was. Looking down through his cloudy vision, his heart broke when he caught Freed's pained and watery stare. "Oh… _shit,_ I'm _**so** sorry, Freed!"_

Trying to relax, the rune mage managed a ghost of a grin. "My fault." he ground between clenched teeth. "Just… do not move for a moment."

Gajeel nodded, sweat pouring down his temple. He braced himself on his forearms, caging Freed in and massaging his scalp. _"Sorry…"_ he whispered intimately in the space between them nuzzling and kissing the cheeks and eyelids of the man beneath him. "Yer in control here. Ya just let me know."

A soft wind brushed them both with wildflower petals and fallen leaves. Something about their surroundings seemed magical… nearly artificial if it weren't for the very real feeling of the spongy moss beneath Freed's bare body and the brushing bite of Gajeel's hips against his thighs.

In an uneasy wonderment, the rune mage wrapped his arms more securely under Gajeel's arms and began littering his back with golden runes.

"Gajeel," he whispered, his eyes meeting the dragon's agonized stare. "...is this place real?"

The slayer wet his lips and looked around, his body finally taking notice of their queer surroundings. "...I… I don't know."

"There just happens to be a place this perfect naturally occuring in nature??" A terrible thought hit Freed in the back of his mind and he sucked in a slow breath. "... Has... _any of this_ been real?"

Gajeel's face contorted and he thought that question over; what exactly did he mean? What…

 ** _There._**

In the back of his mind he found the truth that Freed had only just discovered. The sights and smells he was scensing… he was beginning to doubt them. A memory was attached to them, as if he were remembering them rather than experiencing first hand.

 ** _"...no…"_** Gajeel gasped, and Freed could practically feel the dragon's heart break when he visually crumbled, his expression pained. _"...this **can't be** … this can't be-"_

"A dream." Freed sniffed wetly, placing a final rune in the center of his lover's lower back.

 _"But…_ " Gajeel exhaled, tears falling unimpeded down his nose and onto Freed's neck. _"...Freed… **I don't wanna be alone again…"**_

The rune mage allowed himself one selfish sob before he steeled himself. "You will not be alone." He promised. "We will never be alone now… not here... _not when we close our eyes, **my love."**_ Freed failed to suppress the quiver in his voice, but he drew his husband close and breathed in, savoring all the complexity in the warmth of his nape.

 ** _"Freed!"_** Gajeel wept, cradling the rune mage in his arms and littering his porcelain face with frustrated, despaired kisses and. **_"It's not FAIR!"_**

"Let's make the most of this, love. _Stay here with me… stay asleep."_ Freed activated one of the many runes on Gajeel back, the warm glow tickling them both where the letter touched them. "I'm going to do what I promised," he smiled weakly and let loose another tear. "I'm going to make _every last bit of hurt in you disappear."_

A small pebble of hope planted itself in Gajeel's throat, and his tension eased ever so slightly. "What are ya doin'?

"Just what I've said… and I'll give you every last bit of me I can manage." Freed rested his forehead forward against the slayers. "I'll give you _all of me_ ; _my love everlasting for you to remember me by."_

Another rune activated and Gajeel clamped his eyes shut and moaned carelessly loud and lovely. His groin pressed into Freed so hard that he could feel the pulse of the dragon's seed shooting inside of him. Freed threw his head back gasping and activated yet another, allowing himself to get caught up in the emotions he was channeling into his husband. Their hearts pounded and red hot desire raged within them, their bulges stiffening and their bodies rocking together in the slick mess they created.

The rune after gave them both butterflies, the kind they'd feel walking into the room to catch the other's eye. Gajeel grinned through his sadness and kissed Freed's open mouth. Feeling his lover's emotions so acutely was magic in itself, an impossibility… _a miracle._

Each letter built their bond from the ground up, and all those vital pieces of learning each other seemed to fall side by side, binding their hearts together. Gajeel pushed himself to keep going, a fresh batch of thoughtfulness causing him to stroke Freed in tandem with his thrusts.

 _"Cum for me,"_ he moaned, increasing the pace until they were gasping to catch their breath together.

 _"Cum **with** me!"_ Freed amended, activating the last rune as his orgasm neared. _"Give it all to me, Gajeel! Make me yours!"_

Their chests swelled with a cocktail of trust, security, friendship and laughter. It was so much stronger than the first time he had felt it that the dragon was overwhelmed with the force of Freed's love for him. No one else would ever make him feel this way; this perfect, soul lighting mist of sheer bliss and relief.

 _"I love ya, nerd,"_ he gasped, feeling the wave of constricting muscles head for his groin. _"I'm gunna… I'm gunna…"_

 _"Oh, Gajeel! I **love** you! **AH! DON'T STOP! DON'T STOP!!"**_

Freed threw his legs around Gajeel and cried out, his seed spilling out onto his chest and stomach. The dragon, watching the deeply haunting and satisfying gape to the rune mage's mouth, the slender curves of his cheek bones, the wanton way his eyes lids clasped to savor the feeling of _them… **together**._

He came again, this time in such an Earth-shattering, back breaking, absolute erase all thought for several minutes sort of way that he roared his orgasm into the forest. His pure pleasure and pride with his partner echoed off the copse around them and into the rest of the forest until it became a whisper of itself. Gajeel collapsed, feeling quite boneless in Freed's arms. The lingering ghost of the long-faded runes on his back kept them both warm, laying together in the milky moonlight.

Silent.

Listening.

Feeling.

Taking everything in amongst soft, endearing kisses meant to tether them together as long as possible.

 _"I'll always love you."_ Freed murmured into raven locks, his nose brushing the silky bristles to inhale that spicy, clove scent. There was no rumble in his stomach to interrupt their tenderness this time.

"Yeah," Gajeel sniffed back, biting the shoulder nearest his mouth and reveling in the tingling magic he injected into Freed's shoulder. They were mated now, fate and reality be damned. He swore when he woke he wouldn't forget Freed and his beautiful healing hands that drove away all doubt in himself.

 _"...I'll love ya **more**. Always."_


	7. Madness

_When the writing bug bites, don't question it. Just fucking write that shit._ _This chapter is short for a reason: not to depress the everliving shit out of you all. Next chapter is in process and i fully expect it to be up and much more sunny by the end of next week._

 _I hope you can enjoy my story for what it is: a brief window into my psychological ramblings. If you have a friend who, or maybe you have some of these behaviors, i would strongly recommend seeking counceling. Thanks all._

 **Chapter 7**

An alarm screeched, sounding distant until it suddenly wasn't. No, it was right beside him, where it always was, assaulting his left ear because the last three minutes of gentle ambient music hadn't roused him in time.

It was supposed to make for a seamless transition into waking life, but every morning for the last week it had been a rude way to begin his day. Then again, those papers wouldn't push themselves, right?

Something had to give, and it was clear to him now more than ever that it would be his nerves to snap first.

Freed opened his eyes, albeit slowly, considering he'd left his blinds open in hopes of fighting a vitamin D deficiency (or in his own mind: a case of 'definitely not a morning person'). His gaze examined the yellowed popcorn ceiling, feeling the weight of what he had felt for the past seven days.

Tired.

Lonesome.

Despair.

A frustrated sigh leaked slowly through his nose, before he sat up jerkily. He couldn't afford to be late again- his boss had made it clear his tardiness lately was beginning to test his patience. No job means no money, and no money means not paying rent or eating and avoiding debt collector phone calls. Homelessness.

He couldn't do that again.

Peeling off his overly baggy t-shirt, flannel bottoms and briefs, he discarded them in the plastic bin on his way to the tiny cubicle of a bathroom. He started the shower without delay and reached for his pill box to wrench open Tuesday's latch. 5 differently shaped pills gleamed in the yellowed vanity lights above the sink.

One prescribed to treat depression. Unsuccessfully, he might add.

Another for anxiety, which really only exacerbated the former with its groggy, slowed down feeling amplified.

Vitamin D, and 5000 iu. To treat this disgusting 'I feel like I ran a marathon yesterday despite the fact that all I did was data entry in a non-ergonomic piece of shit chair all day' feeling. Did you know that not getting sunlight in regular doses can affect your calcium absorption?

Neither had he. Supposedly it would help him feel less like a heaping pile of crap in the morning. The jury was still out on that.

An allergy pill sliced in half. Because plant procreation was in full effect, making it hard to breath and have clear vision, what with all that itchy watering. More than half and he felt more detached than normal, higher than a kite and trying desperately to keep his work straight.

The last was a probiotic. Because getting older had done strange things to his digestion. He supposed it could have also been the stress, but something in his aching, sun-starved bones told him it was definitely because his physical self wished him to be even more undesirable.

Somewhere along this path of pills and mental anguish, he felt betrayed by this body. Where once he could run without stopping for what seemed like miles, he struggled to get out of bed. He used to be athletic in school, used to have a body he was proud of. Between being a responsible and functioning adult and that coldness under his flesh where none had stoked a fire in so long… he had abandoned taking care of himself.

Hair ends split.

Nails chipped from being chewed to death.

He could hardly find it in him to wash his face in the morning. What was the point? It wasn't like he'd be looking any better.

That wasn't how life worked. You reached a sort of expiration eventually and hoped to whatever gods you worship that someone took you home to claim you before becoming spoiled.

Tossing back the pills and taking a swallow from the tap, he thought back to the dream that felt so familiar and nostalgic every time he had it. Thought of the glossy green hair and heart-shaped face he had had in his vision, remembered that man's beautiful dark hair and sharp, bloody eyes. So many details were slipping as his day progressed, until he found he almost couldn't picture him any more. Couldn't remember the content of his dream at all, only that it had been lovely and heartbreaking all at once.

Wiping his mouth free of excess water, he found his reflection and grimaced. Freed looked tired, used up even. His dirty brown-blonde hair was beginning to get too long, now ticking his shoulders ever so slightly. There was an unpronounced beauty mark most people didn't notice below his eye, and his skin was losing elasticity. He was 30, but he felt ancient, glowering with resentment at the pieces of himself he couldn't change.

He looked so… average… unimportant… and he felt it too, only adding to that miserable sniff he gave the mirror before clamoring into the shower with all the grace of a dyspraxic giraffe. If he didn't rush, he'd be late.

Ignore this feeling.

Push it down, out and away.

This doesn't matter. Just get to work.

His continued inner self-deprecating dialogue had caused him to have to skip breakfast. Again. It would be a long day until his lunch hour, and he promised his rumbling stomach he'd find time to sneak off to the vending machine if it could hold out a little longer. The organ protested angrily at him, but what could he do? He only had five minutes to be at his desk and he had to be there or that asshole would fire him.

Wiping sweat from his brow, he sat in a slump in his computer chair and sighed. He'd cut it close with two minutes to spare. Too close for comfort, he thought, leaning back to close his tired eyes and collect himself.

'After work,' he thought, 'I'll go home, microwave something from the freezer, and draw what I can remember.' A thin smile creeped onto his face. 'I'll try again to remember you, my love.'

"Enjoying yourself?" a deep base opened his eyes.

His direct supervisor leaned on his patrician wall, his lips curved into a deep frown. Freed cursed himself for acknowledging his handsome features. His hair was an icy blonde that was almost white, spiked fashionably above his absolute brick shit house of a body. Night upon night had he dreamed of being held in those arms… so powerful and strong…

"Earth to Freed- you in there??"

Prick.

"Just preparing myself, Laxus." He mumbled meekly, shuffling a pile of papers into order on his flimsy particle board desk.

'Don't look him in the eye.

Don't look at him in the eye.'

"You look like shit. Everything alright?"

Like you care.

"Fine." He offered before the prying raise of Laxus's eyebrow made him sigh heavily and weave a story he'd told him many times before. "I slept well and had a nice breakfast. Perhaps you're sensing the food coma I'll be in once my meal catches up with me?"

Freed's boss rolled his eyes, clearly unconvinced. "Whatever. Just don't let it affect your work." He grouched, lumbering off in that one-size too tight dress shirt that made him look not unlike a Vienna sausage.

A Vienna sausage that he definitely didn't want to run his hands over.

'When the hell will I be over that troll?' He thought, sharpening a pencil that was already pointed. 'He doesn't care, you work all day long for him and he spares only the smallest of glances your way to make sure you're not going to off yourself and make the company look bad.'

Being 30 was rough business, he thought, settling into number crunching and tables and graphs. At this age, he thought there would be a crisis of some kind, but instead he just seemed to sink into himself; Accepting his lot in life as an adult with adult problems that often times garnered no solution outside of the daily wank and one blessed meal not cooked by his own hands once a week.

"Gods…" he whispered, thinking of that charming, off center smile from his dream. The too-large cuspids… the calloused hands touching Freed in ways he had only imagined. "...Why couldn't you be real?"

Feeling particularly dejected, he reminded himself that it wasn't important. His focus needed to be here on his work. He needed a paycheck. Security.

Keep your head down.

Remember yourself and get back to work.

That evening, Freed came home and sloppily flung a frozen pizza into the oven and wandered into his bedroom. For weeks he'd been trying to remember exactly what the man in his dreams had looked like. He'd managed to come close with the eyes a few times, trying to manipulate the curves of the graphite brow in a way that would spark his attention. It still wasn't right though.

On this night, he tried to remember the lopsided grin that could change from being playful to seductive with just a nudge of that lovely, slightly pink lip. He stopped a few times, wondering if this was healthy. Wondering if he shouldn't be trying to push himself to be better than he is rather than becoming obsessed with a man he could never hope to meet in real life.

He wasn't perfect. No, but somehow that made him more real and accessible. It killed the lowly paper pusher that he had fallen so low that he would prefer the company of figments of the imagination rather than take his best friend, Levy, up on her offer to drive down for a visit. She had a beach house only a mile from the surf, and had taken to dying her hair blue in a rebellious fit.

She was married now, and he hated that it killed him so much to see her happy. He loathed that he couldn't look past his own solitude to appreciate how good Saruske had been for her. Even if he did have that stupid nickname and shocking orange hair.

'Jet,' he thought it was. A memento from his track and field days that had long since passed him up.

Cana had moved deeper into the city after their brief and embarrassing living situation in which she had practically tried to whore him out to any single female friends she could coax into it. Boy, had she been barking up the very wrong tree with that one. Honestly Freed, being who he was, hadn't noticed they were actually hitting on him so much as being overly friendly-much the way Ms. Alberone was with everyone.

Getting laid wasn't his problem. Well… it wasn't the WHOLE problem, anyway.

Not that she understood that. There was nothing that a good fuck couldn't fix in her life and he didn't judge her for that. Not a bit. He envied her, in fact.

His eyes widened when a particular angled sweep of his pencil seemed right, and he smiled, truly smiled for once that day.

"I have you now!" he chuckled to the paper, fighting reality as hard as he could to remember how his top lip had swooped into the bottom lip… there! Like that! The warmth in his heart was returning with that perfect, toothy grin beginning to manifest for him.

A shrill siren frightened him, causing his pencil to skip out of rhythm, and suddenly the scratches on paper didn't make sense anymore. Where there had been a delicate order of imperfect teeth and fleshy, kissable lips there were only scribbles.

Freed snapped his pencil in half and growled at his drawing, his empty life, his slow descent into madness. He tore himself away into the kitchenette and rapped the smoke alarm a bit harder than he'd meant to, shattering the faceplate but ultimately silencing the device. He'd forgotten to set a timer for his dinner, and now it was practically charcoal in his oven.

Opening his windows and the small patio door, Freed finally opened the oven and allowed the mess to spill into the room and out again. The blackened disk was hardly edible at this point, so he grabbed his wallet and sullenly rubbed his last two twenties together before pay day at the end of the week.

If he got a large pizza delivered with lots of toppings, he could make the food stretch into the week and still have enough in case there was an incident like today where he had to find something at work. He could do it. It would be tight and he'd need to be careful, but he'd make it work. He always did.

After placing the order, he tossed his would-be dinner in the trash and returned to his desk. If he squinted, he could still see that grin beneath the mistake. Carefully, he erased and redrew until it looked right.

'...I'll love ya more. Always.' A dulcet, cello of a voice rang in his head.

Wetness dripped onto the notebook, and he sniffed, touching the grey-black rendering.

"I hope you haven't forgotten me." He confided to the night filled with smoke from burnt pizza and inattention. "Maybe we can see each other again tonight when we're both tired, hm??"

It was pretty pathetic, he thought, but for a moment he was happy.

Rubbing his tired eyes, Freed tried to remember the rough shape of the dreamy face and chin, roughly sketching in a gestural way when his bell rang. Wiping excess tears from his eyes, he got to his feet and crossed the tiny apartment's creaky wood flooring to collect his dinner. Hopefully Natsu wasn't in the mood to pry as to his ordering outside of the weekend.

Not that it was his business, but they had known each other quite a while and he always seemed to deliver the meal himself when Freed's address came up. Just to check in, or something… or make sure he was still alive, more likely.

But it wasn't the pink-haired punk standing at his doorstep. Instead, a busty blonde greeted him with a tip of her "Wild Fire Pizza" visor on the stoop.

"Lucy!" Freed smiled softly. This WAS a surprise.

"Hey there!" She grinned, shouldering the pizza bag and settling her free hand on her hip. "What's up Freed? I'm off work and I brought more than you paid for… let's hang for a bit, whatcha say?"

Like he could turn down the prospect of more free food and friendly company that he actually enjoyed.

"Come in, come in." He gestured her into the tiny living room, barely big enough to be doing any sort of living he would think worth while. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Mrs. Dragneel and the infamous baby bump?"

Lucy emptied her arm out onto the coffee table and helped herself to opening everything up on the table and laughing. "Don't make me punch you, Freed. I'm only a month along and my appetite has picked up. This is ALL breadsticks." She patted her low belly and interrupted herself, apologizing with her eyes. "Natsu was worried." She sighed, crossing her arms and rolled her eyes. "He said you never order on Tuesday."

"Vigilant, that one." Freed laughed uncomfortably, hoping she wouldn't notice his sad state. He didn't enjoy worrying his friends. "I'm fine. I was careless with dinner and had to find a solution before it got too late." Shrugging, he grabbed a piece of pizza and nibbled, watching Lucy make herself comfortable on his loveseat from where he'd planted himself on the floor. "Just because I change a pattern of behavior does not mean I've had some sort of nervous breakdown.

Where her eyes had fallen shut enjoying a sticky orange buffalo wing, they suddenly snapped open, eyeing him critically. "...No one said anything about you having a breakdown." She spoke slowly and indelicately through her full mouth. She really HAD been spending too much time with her husband. "...Care to tell me what has you so anxious about people caring?"

Freed put his hands up in surrender, laughing nervously and resuming his concentration on his dinner. "N-nothing against people caring. I don't think it's any big secret that my life is a mess." He meant the statement to be lighthearted, but instead he only managed a tone of sad acquiescence. "I think that's how most people see me, anyway. A 30 year old bent virgin without prospects doing a job he despises."

Lucy's honey brown eyes widened, but she said nothing, listening to her friend vent while hot sauce dripped from the food in her hand back onto the paper plate she was using.

He wasn't finished, not by a long shot.

"What's worse is working for that stupid-hot gorilla that always looks down his nose at me now that he is 'upper management'" he paused to take another bite before he growled grudgingly through cheese and meat, "... call it what you'd like, but an asshole still stinks."

"Wow…" Lucy grinned mischievously, covering her mouth to keep her food from showing until she could manage to swallow it. "You really hate Laxus, don't you?"

A frustrated huff ground from his lips in response. "I don't HATE him. I just think I'm just salty from not wanting to admit I have no chance with someone like that." He looked up at her, cringing at the pity in her eyes. "Don't look at me that way. I'm being honest, not self-deprecating."

Furrowing her brow, Lucy gave him a long, hard look and mumbled, "The two aren't mutually exclusive, ya know."

Sheepish but annoyed, Freed set down his crust in the pizza box and dusted his hands off against each other. "Are you really wanting to know how I'm doing?"

Gesturing at him agitatedly an affirmative, she continued to chew the food in her mouth. 'DUH!' Her hand said for her.

Squaring off his shoulders before her, he adjusted his stained nightshirt and crossed both his legs and arms. "I'm not saying this looking for charity." He started, making sure she knew that he expected nothing from her in exchange for his thoughts. "I'm lonely. I have no family outside of my friends- and I love you all, but you're beginning to ware on me with all the happiness your lives are bestowing on you."

He winced at the hurt in Lucy's eyes but held a hand up to stop her before her mouth could open any further. "Do not misunderstand me. I am happy for you and Natsu and your newest addition coming in eight months. I AM." He emphasised this with a sympathetic head tilt. "My job sucks. My boss sucks. My apartment is shitty and so is my salary and work experience, making change all that much harder for me. I am in a rut, and despite the pharmacy I pop in my mouth every morning and weekly counseling sessions I don't see things improving soon."

Lucy opened her mouth again but was quickly cut off with his continued ramblings. "To top everything off," he hesitated, real emotion settling into his nerves and making his insides clench tightly around his swollen heart. He shouldn't be talking about this… he shouldn't. She would think he was crazy or worse, she would leave him here alone again…

...yet… it would be so… SO worth it to get it off of his plate and unpack it for just a moment.

"...I've… been having some troubling dreams…" he admitted vaguely.

Lucy sat for a moment saying nothing, but when it seemed Freed had finally clammed up, she proceeded with caution. "Violent dreams?" She asked, shuffling a little closer onto the edge of the cushion, closer to him. "Sad dreams??"

Freed's lip trembled, and he fought the tears back as best he could, blinking them away and resting his gaze on the dirtied beige carpeting. "...They're… wonderful dreams. So lovely and… heartbreaking."

Lucy said nothing, but stood and situated herself behind him, her long, pale legs looking so tan on either side of his. "Tell me about it?" She asked softly, wrapping her arms around his waist.

Sharp teeth snagged his chest and ground themselves in until they were buried, injecting love and loss, hope and despair into him in equal measure. He sobbed once, his hand catching the rest before they could fall over his lips, and his whole body rocked with silent heaves. Tears fell freely from his scrunched eyes. "I… I meet someone…" he cried softly, "And after… we finally get to-together… we both realize we're dreaming!"

The arms around him tightened painfully tight, but it felt good; reassuring in its own way. It tethered Freed there instead of allowing him to descend forlornly into sorrow the way he often had when he woke this week. "It's the same dream… every night the last seven days… but it's as if… I remember more about him each time I have it… it's MADDENING! He's so REAL!" He yelled, raking his agitated fingers through his hair. "It feels like he's just left my side when I wake… I smell him in my hair! All the while my body grows cold in his absence and I can do nothing to warm myself! Food doesn't taste the same… every man I meet, even that trophy of a bear my BOSS is… he seems so…" Freed growled, throwing his hands up and falling back more deeply into Lucy's arms, deflating back into lethargy. "Just… blehh…"

Lucy's brow furrowed, her eyes watching him, unsure of how exactly to proceed. Mind jumping back and forth from encouraging her very seriously depressed friend's seemingly unhealthy fixation, or snapping him back to reality so he can get on with his life. Neither option seemed particularly kind or right. After all, who was she to judge or tell him it meant nothing?

Maybe it was his mind helping him work through something. She had no idea.

"...Have you mentioned this to anyone?" She asked, trying to fill the silence and collect her thoughts, hoping an answer would come to her somehow.

Freed, if possible, slouched more, becoming a syrupy, sad puddle in her lap. "I'm not in the business of advertising my particular brand of crazy- and before you say anything, I told you because it felt like if I kept him a secret any longer my head would explode." His pale blue eyes looked up, searching her face with alarm. "You won't tell your husband will you? He can't keep a secret to save the soul of his unborn child, precious to him though they may be."

Laughter barked up her throat and into his ear, infecting him with a soft grin of his own. "Nahh… unless it has to do with my breasts going up a cup size in a few months, I doubt he'd be all that interested anyway."

"UGH. Men…" The recovering man scoffed, stealing a piece of celery from the wings box. "Don't get me wrong, Mrs. Dragneel, they're quite comfortable to lay on and…" His brow reached for the ceiling with his eyes following to find the right word to use. "...symmetrical…"

She smiled and came around to sit with legs parallel with his. "Why thank you! That's actually a compliment when you get above a 'C' cup. You know, gravity and all that jazz."

"We can stop talking about jazz AND breasts now." He laughed, making a face of playful disgust.

Lucy stayed the night, keeping him up with laughter until it was unwise with work in the morning. She slept beside him soundly, until the morning came and he fell apart in her arms, having mourned the loss of his lover all over again. Powerless, was the feeling she nursed in getting him out of bed and into the shower. Maternal instincts on high alert, she searched an empty kitchen to make him breakfast.

Something had to be done.

She needed a plan.


	8. Intent

_Sorry for the delayyyyy! Next post in a few days!_

*

 **Chapter 8**

The best of intentions can sometimes go so wrong. Unfortunately for Freed, this seemed to be one of those days.

Lucy had all but insisted he eat something, taking to driving them to a bakery a few blocks from the office beside a rather lovely looking delicatessen he would be checking out should payday be kind to him. Now he was dangerously close to being late, drumming his fingers on her dash waiting for the last light to turn green. City traffic could be such a time sink, even when you weren't feeling rushed.

"I appreciate the gesture, I do." he reassured her when she had stiffened with irritation at his nervous bouncing. "I just absolutely can't be late… the Laxus will fire me." He worried, unfastening his seat belt while Lucy's car pulled into the firm's parking lot. Powdered sugar clung to the side of his mouth and some to his collar, unnoticed in the sea of nerves that threatened to spill over at any moment,

"Relax. You're wound too tight! It's not good for you!" Lucy soothed him turning into a compact parking spot near the front door. As soon as the car pulled to enough of a stop, he gave her a quick peck on the cheek and his thanks, booking it out the passenger side and into the double doors. Waving hurriedly behind him and desperately straightening his tie. It was only one minute… only one… surely he wouldn't… notice!

Sure as shit, there was the sausage himself; arms crossed and face carefully blank beside his cubicle.

Freed tried to swallow the thick, scratchy wool in his throat. He approached his boss sheepishly, feeling like a nervous cow being prodded forward to slaughter.

"Good m-morning." He managed, his eyes low while he bypassed the ugly dark aura rolling off of Laxus and finding his rickety chair. Once he was sat, he felt at least a little secure. His boss hadn't said anything yet, and he was hoping he could possibly skate by with that visual reminder that he held a replaceable position.

The more minutes that passed with his boss staring only made his hands shake while he did his work, causing his fingers to ghost over the wrong numbers. He hastily erased his mistakes, but the pressure clamping down on him was becoming unbearable now.

Finally, once he had completed his first task, he heard Laxus sigh heavily. He looked up and saw nothing but pain in his boss' eyes.

"...I'm sorry I'm late, sir." He said in a voice so small he was afraid he wasn't heard.

The giant pinched his nose. "My office," he groaned, walking back to the small room he had for himself. "...Now."

'Shit!' Freed stood and trembled after the blonde, worrying the hem of his dress shirt so shakily he must have looked like an addict from far away. 'I finally broke the camel's back… I'm finally getting canned… oh FUCK ME…'

By the time Freed doddled through the door, Laxus was already sat at his desk and waiting, fingers laced and studying him thoroughly. "Sit." he gestured to a chair in front of him, leaving no room for argument.

'What will I do?' He asked himself. 'Where Will I go??'

The shaking man did as he was told, his nerves bundling up onto each other when his boss only stared hard at him. "Laxus," he started, his mouth unable to stay shut any longer. "Say something. I'm dying here."

Laxus's frown deepened, and he shifted, eyes wandering, clearly deciding how to say whatever it is he had to say and it was making Freed absolutely mental.

"Am I fired?" he asked, and before his superior could speak, he began to ramble, his stress running wild in his blood. "...For fuck's sakes… please! I'll do anything to stay!" Laxus' eyebrows rose and kept rising with the continued shiver of words, ejecting from his employees mouth.

"I haven't been… I haven't been well for some time. I know it's not fair of me to make excuses, but things have… truly gotten bad enough that I feel myself losing the motivation to keep carrying on." His knees were clenched so hard together, he was beginning to lose feeling in his calves… along with the rest of himself. "I don't know what else I can do but keep with the routine- and sometimes it really does feel as if my mind is so preoccupied elsewhere that I can't manage to concentrate on the mundane, let alone the necessary."

"Freed-" Laxus tried to cut in, but was once again overtaken by the wave of words exiting his employee.

"I know that I made things awkward for you when you moved up to management," Freed began to sniffle, and Laxus' expression became distinctly frightened. "...I never meant to make you uncomfortable or cause you to feel stressed about your job!" Tears fell for the second time that morning into his lap.

"Oh for the love of GOD…" Laxus got up from his desk in a huff and stalked to slam the office door shut. He turned, pulled Freed to his feet and put his arms around him.

It was… uncomfortable. Freed felt too squished between all that hard muscle, and his boss' smell was sharp, citrusy with a slight sweetness he guessed could be from antiperspirant. It was a far cry from the gentle, adoring embrace he had always longed for.

Then again, perhaps his dream had ruined that for him as well.

"You're not fired," Laxus mumbled, staying perfectly still. "So chill the fuck out for a second."

Freed pulled himself away, planting a firm palm against Laxus' chest and giving it what he hoped would be seen as a polite decline. "I...I don't understand…"

"Sorry. You looked like you needed a hug and I needed you to stop rambling before you said anything else embarrassing." The blond stepped away, putting the desk between them again and avoiding eye contact. "Like I said, you're not fired. Changes are happening, and I wanted to discuss it with you beforehand to give you the best chance of survival here."

Freed sat heavily, feeling very confused about his own emotions. He felt no spark whatsoever with Laxus' affection, physically _and_ mentally. The man was looking out for him, something he had always wished he could experience and yet…

 _"Dude!"_ Laxus barked, slamming a hand onto his desk, "Would you pay attention!?? This is serious!"

Freed shook his inattentiveness away and clenched the armrests at his sides. "S-Sorry!! What did you say?"

"I'm being transferred!" he all but complained, growling when Freed just sort of stared, clearly not understanding why this had anything to do with him. "So I'm giving you two weeks paid leave to get your shit together!"

...Why would he…??

Freed swallowed, his body going rigid again. "...You… convinced them not to fire me." he said slowly, his brows pushing hard into each other. "...Laxus… why would you put your job in jeopardy doing that AND giving me PAID vacation time?? That doesn't make sense!!!"

Laxus wouldn't look up from the white knuckles at his own sides. Something was different in the air, and Freed scooted forward to the edge of his seat, leaning into his supervisor's line of sight. "Why would you do that for me?" He demanded, his voice more firm this time.

The blonde looked up at the ceiling and sat, leaning back and attempting to look collected. He thumbed his lower lip in silence for a moment and shut his eyes.

"Don't read into it. Just accept this opportunity and make the most of it, because I guarantee my replacement won't be as forgiving with their reports."

His eyes finally met Freed's, and they measured each other. He couldn't believe this morning, couldn't believe what this man was saying to him.

"Alright…" He said carefully, adjusting his tie again. "Then I suppose I'd… best make some relaxing arrangements… or something. When am I to-"

"Now." Laxus said, his tone firm, but nothing more.

Freed nodded, still numb with disbelief as he stood to shake Laxus' hand. "...Will I be here to see you off or…?"

Taking the offering, his boss shook it once firmly. "I'll be gone within the week."

Slipping his hand loose, Freed scratched the back of his head. "...Getting a pay increase at least?"

A slow smile crept onto Laxus' lips. "The details are being finalized as we speak, but it looks good."

 _That was good to hear_ , he thought, answering with a shy grin of his own. "It's been a pleasure, sir. If you're in town again let me know- we could get a beer or something."

"I'll do that." Laxus said, watching Freed walk from his office. " _Take care of yourself."_ He muttered, sitting back down in his swivel chair. The blonde sat and stared at his palm for a moment before he began filing the last of his paperwork. He had given his 2 week's notice a few days ago and corporate had decided he 'could leave earlier' after he had pushed to keep an unproductive employee on board in addition to giving them a paid vacation.

Lying was the thing he hated the most about other people, and he hated that he had just lied to his subordinate. It was what he considered a small lie; one he could ultimately live with keeping to himself. It didn't matter, anyhow. He had two weeks before starting his new job, and he would put this all behind him. A new city... new place...

A fresh start for both of them, he hoped.

Maybe then he'd be able to sleep in peace, without that dream driving guilty knives into his skull. None of it made sense, but it came sure as sunrise and sunset each night when his eyes closed. Laxus was long past ignoring his instinct at this point, and the only thing he knew for sure was that he needed to leave. He needed to get _out of the way._ Of what, he had no idea.

Intentions, in this case, would hopefully save them both the discomfort of continuing to coexist in pain.

000000*000000

"...and he just gave you time off?" Lucy balked, her mouth ajar with a bit of red sauce dripping from her chin. "That... doesn't make any sense!!"

Freed sipped his water, trying hard not to spoil the small feeling of relief he was nursing. "Two weeks of paid vacation. Have you heard of such a thing?" The delicatessen doors swung open, prompting a bell to chime but he was too focussed on that dot of red leading from his friend's mouth. "I'll gladly take the opportunity to sort myself out, but I can't help but feel like I've missed something."

"Maybe he likes you?"

A confident tenor interrupted his thoughts behind him and Freed jumped, dropping the leaking sandwich in his hands. "Gods, Natsu!" He sighed agitatedly. "Must you always do that?! ...OH."

The flaming red hair Lucy's husband had been sporting the last several years was in a fading period, leaving it a loud shade of pink that could garner attention anywhere. City folk noticed less with how common off-color hair was, but it was still quite the sight to see a secure and sturdily built man like Natsu carry the color so well.

He must have noticed Freed's staring, because his usually pleasant expression dipped and he made an exasperated noise. A sort of sigh that said 'Not you too!'

"Don't say it." He growled, pulling up a chair beside his wife and stealing a rogue sauce-covered meatball from her plate. "I get it all day. Don't you start."

Lucy covered her amused, half-full mouth trying to appear more delicate as she chewed and swallowed her bite of sub sandwich. "Don't pay him any attention, Freed. My husband is just salty his favorite hair dye was discontinued. Though, I think we purchased enough of their product to keep the color itself afloat, in my opinion."

With an apologetic half smile, Freed played with a lock of his own between his fingers, remembering his own hair dying adventures fondly. "At least you make the fade look good, 'Fire Dragon'," he leaned on the nickname and ran his fingers through his hair to reintegrate the piece he had been toying with. "Remember my green hair phase just after school? Every two weeks, my head was that nasty chlorine-attacked blonde color."

Nervously laughing off Freed's comment, Lucy leaned on her husband's shoulder and gave his bicep a quick kiss. "That's right, love. Pink is a good color on yo-"

"It's salmon." Natsu muttered, fidgeting with a napkin and beginning to tear it to pieces.

"...Right." Freed agreed reluctantly while attempting to keep the dragon temper his friend's nickname came from locked down. He thought getting back to the discussion about his odd forced vacation was in order. "It doesn't really matter if he likes me anymore, though."

"Cuz he's leavin'." Natsu attempted to clarify but sounded more like a statement, taking the offered opportunity to drop the subject of his hair. The short, unevenly spiked points were wobbling slightly with his nervous leg jiggling under the table. "I mean, you could always tell him, ya know?"

The sandy blonde shook his head, gathering items from his salad bowl with his fork. "No… I think not… had you asked me a month or two ago, I think I could have confessed my feelings. Things are different now." He admitted, his salad hovering thoughtfully in front of his lips from his fork. "I… don't think of him that way anymore."

Lucy cringed subtly and hoped it had gone unnoticed. She had her suspicions about why that was, but thought it best to remain silent. To say she was worried about her friend was a bit of an understatement considering how upset Freed had been this morning when they'd woken up. She'd had her share of nightmares, her share of self-loathing… but she had also managed to turn things around.

"What, just like that? What happened? You used to blab about him all the time!"

Then again, she'd had Natsu. The insensitive idiot that he was. She watched her boys make faces at each other, lost in thought and missing their conversation but for bits and pieces.

The most frightening thing in the world was watching someone you loved deteriorate before your eyes. She had barely had time to formulate a plan, but Lucy knew staying still in his home was the last thing he needed. Freed needed reality, something he could hold onto that was real and would lift his spirits without causing him to fixate on this… unhealthy obsession of his.

Freed shrugged, finally putting the food in his mouth. "Things change." His tight lips quirked into a teasing, condescending smile. "Like that hair of yours, for example."

Natsu's face twisted, his dark eyes glaring back at the other, waiting for the 'P' word to drop. Nastiness was on the tip of his tongue, ready to spew venom at the drop of a hat. Lucy rolled her eyes. Even in his late twenties, her husband had yet to grow up. Though her friend's playful nature was encouraging.

"You know who might be able to help you out with that vacation you're meant to be having?" She grinned, grabbing hold of her husband's collar to keep him from throttling Freed. "Levy! You could relax at the beach!! I'd come with you but I'm afraid I've been pretty sensitive to the heat..."

Something stirred within him; it wasn't hope he found there so much, no…

For the first time in a while, Freed Justine thought he might be excited for something besides going to sleep at night. This was what he needed- this was right. He felt it in his bones.


	9. Hide and Seek

**Chapter 9**

A day later, Freed sat in the sand with pad and pencil in hand. The breeze rocked his body, but the air was warm, filling his head with dreamy thoughts and heart with lead. The water near Levy's home was beautiful to look at but frigid cold to the touch.

No, he was content here on the loose ground, scribbling away to capture the view.

Now that he'd outlined everything he reached back for his utensil pouch, retrieving one of the raw looking nubs of charcoal. In a loose gestural amble, Freed alternated between adding the deep black and smearing it into a less harsh fuzz with his fingers.

"I wonder if I know what I'm doing anymore." He sighed, finally breaking the silence he'd kept the hour or so since leaving the beach house. There was no one beside him, but he knew who he was talking to; even if he was crazy for it.

"Should I choose to embrace this feeling in my breast," he murmured, studying the landscape again with his deep cerulean gaze searching everything for truth. "...I fear I will be lost to the madness. I will become unsustainable emotionally."

The ocean crashed against the onyx rocks, punctuating the nearly damning logic of it.

"Should I choose to let you go, It feels like a piece of me will be lost." He heaved, breathing through the stabbing pain that always accompanied that thought. Freed didn't want to let go, didn't want to return to his job, didn't want to keep living at all.

"Maybe I should… maybe then I,can focus on becoming well again. Maybe…"

There were tears falling from his eyes as they often did.

Gripping the carbon in his hand, he felt it bust.

"... Maybe I should try to forget about y-..."

He looked down, eyes widening and tears flowing wave after wave from them like the roaring ocean in front of him. There was a rocky cliff he had been rendering before his monologue to him…

The jagged blackness of that formation…

Freed snatched his pencil case up again, digging and spilling its contents without care until he found his eraser.

He furiously rubbed at the paper in places, stopping to examine his progress with a fevered search… a search for truth… for validation that his fever dreams meant something. The rock was changing, softening in spots and defining in others. At one point he briefly acknowledged his switch to #2 pencil, but only just. There was hardly anything that could interrupt his hungry trance. There was too much information to remember, too much to get down before his mind would blank. All the same he pressed on, trying to capture everything he knew to be real.

The feverish scratching was slowing.

He was tiring, his eyes searching every angle for discrepancies to fix.

"...There." He sniffed, his lip trembling over the soft words he breathed through his love, pride.. And sorrow.

"I found you." Freed choked on a sob, clean hand gently caressing the side of that moody face, the crooked grin, the beautiful sweep of a collar bone, arms, abs, thighs, calves, feet…

"Gajeel… I remember you."

SLAM.

SLAM.

SLAM. WWHHHACK. SLAM SLAM SLAM.

Something different happened last night.

Something new.

SLAM.

His dreams had been fucked for so long…

SLAM.

What did it mean, that that dream had suddenly changed?

SLAM SLAM WHAM SLAM.

WHY COULDN'T HE STOP THINKING ABOUT IT? ABOUT HIM??!

SLAM SLAM SLAM.

WHY WAS HIS MIND CONTENT TO TORTURE HIM THIS WAY!??

WHY!??

GODS, HE FELT SO… SO ALONE. WHAT WAS THE POINT OF ALL THIS…

SLAM.

… ALL THIS SHIT!??

Slam.

Why couldn't he move forward. Why couldn't he just be normal, just do his job and come home to restful sleep like everyone else.

'There. I found you, Gajeel. I remember you.'

He leaned forward into the bag, feeling it roll against the wall a little before stabilizing.

"Who… are you?" The deep gravel in his throat wavered ever so slightly. "...What… What's the fuckin' point'a this?"

Silence rang, but carried with it the words in his mind, the picture of nimble, pale hands worrying the definition of his sketched cheekbones with such care. That VOICE...

'I'll always love you.'

As though some piece of him finally broke inside, the heaving, sweat-drenched man slumped to the dirty wood floor of his apartment.

"Yeah." He recited, feeling the weight of his words and tasting the confusion wrapped in despair on his tongue. "I'll love ya more. Always."

There was a knock at the door but he ignored it, nursing his swollen soul.


End file.
